Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 106 years
VOLUME ONE-HUNDRED EIGHT
PM40011853 R08546
NUMBER TWELVE
STETTLER, ALBERTA
March 19, 2014
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Contributed photo
NO. 1 IN ALBERTA — The Stettler Storm defeated the Red Deer Chiefs 4-2 on Sunday in the gold-medal game at the provincial bantam A hockey championship in Grande Prairie. In the back row (from left) are manager Greg Switenky, head coach Ryan Robbins, Daniel Schwarzenberger, Carter Cooke, Brett Coleman, Brayden MacDonell, Paul du Toit, Euan Hanton, Brenden Tucker, Ryan Mielke, Dawson Beck, Cole Pedersen, Rylee Jacobson and assistant coaches Mike Tucker and Trevor Speakman. In the front row (from left) are Tye Mulgrove, Talon Conner, Jackson Zimmermann (standing) and James Switenky. In the foreground is Davin Nattestad. Stettler posted a 5-1 record in the three-day tournament and qualified for the final with a 3-2 semifinal win over St. Albert. For a story and more photos, see Page B3.
Police stop semi driver on DUI suspicion STACEY LAVALLIE Independent reporter
A Byemoor-area man has had his licence suspended after Stettler police caught him driving a semi truck while he appeared to be impaired Saturday night, RCMP reported this week. Police responded to multiple reports of an erratic driver in a transport truck at about 10:30 p.m. on Highway 12, near the Boston Pizza. They located the vehicle, driven by a 60-year-old man, as it was being driven erratically and in the wrong lane of traffic, police said. When police pulled over the driver, he refused to provide a breathalyzer sample to determine his inebriation, which carries a charge with penalties the same as if he had registered a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, said Const. Bill Lewadniuk. He said that long-haul transport drivers are often the safest on Canada’s roads and police rarely have to stop those vehicles, except for “every few months.” The vehicle itself was seized for seven days, and due to changes in the traffic laws, the driver’s licence is suspended until the matter makes it through court. Lewadniuk said that under the old system, people who were caught while driving impaired had an automatic 30day suspension. The offenders would then delay the court dates, knowing they would not fare well before a judge and would continue to delay it so they would not lose their licence, the officer said. Under the new law, that tactic doesn’t necessarily work, he said.
STACEY LAVALLIE/Independent reporter
Cruising downtown on the weekend, Stettler police were busy with highway violations, including a suspected drunk driver. The transport wasn’t the only impaired charge laid last weekend in Stettler. Another driver ended up with a three-day suspension for having a blood-alcohol reading in the warning range. The vehicle is impounded for those days. Police responded to a call in Big Valley
where a man allegedly bashed the door handle off a residence door with a sledge hammer. The accused fled the scene, but returned the next day, and Const. Carter Boytinck responded to the complaint. The accused was located driving while disqualified and
without insurance, earning a 30-day vehicle impound and a court date. Stettler RCMP are focusing on vehicle restraints this month, with planned checks scheduled for the rest of March. They plan to check for seatbelt, child-seat and booster-seat compliance.
Internet shortage frustrates Stettler-area residents ROBIN TARNOWETZKI Independent reporter The investigation into solving Stettler’s Internet shortage continues, with town meetings with Telus and Shaw set for early April. “I would like to take the gloves off and be very critical,” said Darrin Bosomworth of Artemis Computers. Representatives from Telus don’t want anyone other than the town officials at that meeting. Bosomworth, who has been dealing with the Internet problem for the past year, would prefer to have someone better-versed in the technical side at the meeting, but he believes the town is prepared. “We’ve told them as much as I feel they need to know,” Bosomworth said. “I think, basically, the best information we can get will be what happens in these conversations with Shaw and Telus.” Affected businesses are growing increasingly irritated
with the Internet shortage. “The Internet is definitely slower than it is in town,” said Jen Henderson, who works in administration for Brennan Auto Body Repair Ltd. The biggest issue for her is that if the Internet cuts out, the debit machine defaults to the phone line, which is much slower. Brad Wohlgemuth of Auto Trust said that the business has experienced Internet problems since it opened six years ago, but that it’s become worse in the past three years. The software that the business uses requires a continuous Internet connection, which isn’t possible in that location. Within that software, users sometime have to wait 15 to 30 seconds between clicks, which Wohlgemuth said is “very time-consuming.” Henderson isn’t satisfied with how the town is handling the problem. “It almost seems like it’s swept under the rug,” she said. “Until somebody complains about it, they’re willing to do nothing.
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“Earlier, they (the town) didn’t seem to realize the scope of the problem and so not much happened.” Henderson added that the town seems to understand the issue and how much it affects people. There are at least two problems to solve: geographic and capacity issues. The fastest expanding parts of town — in particular, the east-ndustrial area — don’t have the infrastructure for reliable Internet service. As well, Stettler’s Internet providers — Shaw, Telus, and Xplornet — have more customers than their systems can sustain. The capacity issue is relatively easy to resolve, and both Telus and Shaw have committed to working on that prong of the problem. “Since the town and county have been involved, Telus and Shaw have been very open and forthcoming,” said Andrew Brysiuk, the director of technology with the County of Stettler. Continued on Page A2
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