In 1897 attorney James Curley founded The Leader, a weekly newspaper serving the approximately 2,600 residents of the city of Laurel, MD.

From 1939 until the late 1950s, the Leader was a "one woman show," with Poe serving as advertising salesperson, graphic designer, copywriter, proofreader, and distributor as well as editor.

In 1992 Poe was quoted in an interview stating: "Maybe I was a little lopsided...I still think the media in general focuses too much on the bad news...There are so many good people.

"[2] During Poe's tenure as editor the Leader covered major national news stories related to Laurel, including the attempted assassination of presidential candidate George Wallace and the destruction of the 9th Street Bridge and several parts of downtown Laurel during Hurricane Agnes.

Yengich oversaw an increased focus in the paper on photography and feature articles, with a strong interest in the city's growth.

Under Murchison's guidance, the paper shifted from a broadsheet format to tabloid in January 1994, and changed from a paid to free circulation model.

[2] While Murchison was editor of the paper, major stories which appeared in the Leader included its local coverage of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Hijacker Hani Hanjour had stayed at the Valencia Motel in Laurel prior to the attack.

In August 2008 he was replaced by Melanie Dzwonchyk, who began working at the Leader as a freelance writer in 1993 and joined the paper's staff in 1995, serving as features editor under Joe Murchison.