Ronald Slechta and his wife Helen own The News. They first purchased The Kalona News in 1992.
Ronald Slechta is a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism in 1966, and has worked at newspapers in Denison, Boone and Tama in Iowa and as publisher of the Red River Valley Times in Moorhead, MN. Slechta is a member of the board of directors of the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kalona Optimist Club, serving as past president of both organizations. Helen is business manager and member of Board of Directors of the Kalona Historical Society for the past 27 years. They and two children and six grand children. Daughter Beryl Marner also assist in the bookkeeping end of the business.
The News and TheNews-IA.com are family-owned publications that cover north Washington County and south Johnson County in eastern Iowa.
The Wellman Advance: The Wellman Advance was established Sept. 13, 1889, by William Reed and W.F. Reinert. The newspaper’s slogan – “The only newspaper that gives two whoops about Wellman” – still describes The News’ dedication to covering Wellman.
The Lone Tree Reporter: The Lone Tree Reporter was first published in December 1890. Editor W.H. Younkin promoted the value of The Newspaper. “No town ever amounted to shucks unless it supported a newspaper. There is no one thing that does so much to get a town before the people and bring people and businesses to it as a good local newspaper.”
The Kalona News: The first issue of The Kalona News was published on Nov. 19, 1891, and continues as Kalona's oldest continuously operating business. Emma Allen Dunlap founded The Kalona News. Dunlap espoused a philosophy that still guides the newspaper today: “With a firm belief in the town and its future we shall do our utmost for the interest of Kalona and the surrounding country, and trust that your patronage will enable us to make The News a first-class local paper. The better a paper is the more valuable it is to a town.”
The Riverside Current: The Riverside Current was established in 1978 by Barbara Kiene. It was first published as a weekly tabloid until 2010 when it began printing as a broadsheet. Prior to The Current, The Riverside News and Shopper printed its first edition in July 1955. It was published by The Lone Tree Reporter. Marge Luckey was the editor.
The Highland Review: The Highland Review was a free newspaper mailed to all households in Riverside and Ainsworth.
It is the goal of The News and TheNews-IA.com to provide readers with the most comprehensive coverage of news, photos, sports, features and advertising of any publication in north Washington County and south Johnson County. The goal is to keep readers informed about the activities in the cities of Kalona, Wellman, Riverside, Lone Tree and Hills plus the Mid-Prairie, Hillcrest Academy, Highland and Lone Tree schools.
Ronald Slechta and his wife Helen own The News. They first purchased The Kalona News in 1992. Ronald Slechta is a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism in 1966, and has worked at newspapers in Denison, Boone and Tama in Iowa and as publisher of the Red River Valley Times in Moorhead, MN. Slechta is a member of the board of directors of the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kalona Optimist Club, serving as past president of both organizations. Helen is business manager and member of Board of Directors of the Kalona Historical Society for the past 27 years. They and two children and six grand children. Daughter Beryl Marner also assist in the bookkeeping end of the business.
Cheryl is originally from Western Michigan. She studied creative writing and philosophy at Grand Valley State University and received a Master of Arts degree in philosophy from Michigan State University. She taught composition and philosophy courses for several years before moving to Wellman in 2010. She has spent much of her tenure in Iowa working in educational assessment and making custom Christmas stockings for her Etsy shop. Cheryl’s passion is long distance running. She has finished 12 marathons, more than 50 half marathons, and many other races. She qualified for and finished the Boston Marathon in 2017, and finished 3rd place overall at the Little Rock Marathon in 2022.
JJ Peters joined The News in September as news editor. Originally from Cedar Rapids, he graduated from high school in 2018 and attended Kirkwood Community College before completing a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2023. He is the founder of Sports Town Network and previously worked at KCII Radio for a year as Assistant News/Sports Director. In his spare time, JJ is a content creator, avid sports fan, and enjoys running.
Paul Bowker covers local news and sports. He also is an Olympics writer and editor, and children's book author. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul
Colette Yoder is the office manager for The News. She is usually the first person you see when you walk in our B Avenue office. Her responsibilities include classified and legal advertising, obituaries and subscriptions. She has been at The News for 14 years. Prior to that, she worked with her mom and dad at Ellen’s Sewing Center where the Kalona Brewing Company is now located. In addition to the sewing shop, the family held flea markets and craft shows in the building. Colette grew up in Kalona and graduated from Iowa Mennonite School. She attended business college in Mason City. She has three boys. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing.
Eli is a Kalona native where he graduated from Hillcrest Academy. He recently earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Eastern Mennonite University. During his time at EMU he also studied digital communications and was part of the school’s newspaper, The Weather Vane. Outside of work, Eli finds joy in being outside through activities like disc golf, pickleball and flying his drone. He also enjoys all things sports and is involved in coaching middle school baseball and basketball at Hillcrest Academy.
