Pete Wicklund, managing editor of the Kenosha News, will retire this week after a 37-year career, the newspaper announced Monday.
Wicklund’s last day at the News will be Friday, March 4. He has been managing editor of the Kenosha paper since October 2020. John Sloca, who served as deputy editor under Wicklund, will lead the newsroom as local news editor.
Prior to his time in Kenosha, Wicklund spent 21 years with The Journal Times. He started in the Burlington bureau and went on to serve as a police reporter, copy editor, photographer and assistant managing editor.
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Wicklund and his wife, Susan Shemanske, are part owners of the Washington Island Observer. Shemanske, who served as sports editor of The Journal Times for nearly two decades, was inducted in 2019 into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame.
Sloca, an Iowa native, started in the industry in 1979 with his hometown newspaper, the Fairfield Ledger. After several years there, he joined the Mt. Pleasant (Iowa) News. During 13 years with the News, Sloca served as a reporter, photographer and news editor.
In March 1998, Sloca joined the DeKalb (Ill.) Daily Chronicle, where he served as news editor for two years. He joined the Kenosha News in March 2000 as a copy editor. He also has served as news editor, assistant managing editor, production editor and deputy editor.
