Local news will soon be delivered directly to Laurel households and businesses with the launch of The Laurel Independent, a monthly newspaper powered by former Laurel Leader editors and a group of citizens dedicated to bringing local community news back home to Laurel.

Beginning in July, the 16-page newspaper will be mailed each month to all households and businesses in the city of Laurel; no need to buy a subscription. The Laurel Independent will offer coverage of Laurel’s city government, the business community, education, local civic organizations and arts and entertainment, along with profiles of the people who make up our community. Future plans include expanding the circulation to include Laurel businesses and households outside the city limits.

The Laurel Independent is a true community effort. Its mission is to build social capital through better-informed residents who are aware of, and plugged into, the happenings of Laurel, and to do this independently, without editorial control by any government or political faction, or without reliance on absentee-owner media corporations only interested in turning a profit.

It all started with a task force of citizens called together by Mayor Craig Moe in 2021 to explore ways to create a newspaper that would provide local news and information to Laurel residents and businesses. The group independently found its way to Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, an 18-year-old publisher of nonprofit newspapers in Hyattsville and College Park. The organization’s board said yes to launching its third paper in Laurel.

With a shoe-string staff, The Laurel Independent will rely on the community to help report the news that is important to all Laurel residents and isn’t being covered anywhere else, with stories that shine a light on local government, celebrate Laurel’s organizations and events and reflect the diversity of Laurel’s communities.

The paper, as well as other Laurel news and updates, will be available to readers at StreetcarSuburbs.News and The Laurel Independent Facebook and Twitter accounts. Newsstand copies of The Laurel Independent will be available free at local businesses, community centers and city buildings.

Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, the hyper-local nonprofit publisher of The Laurel Independent, is an independent, nonpartisan organization that celebrates local civic organizations, communities and residents, reflecting the diversity of communities and keeping citizens informed by covering municipal government, local schools and development. Streetcar Suburbs Publishing already delivers local news to nearby municipalities Hyattsville and College Park through its monthly newspapers, the Hyattsville Life & Times and College Park Here & Now, mailed free to every household and business in the coverage area.

For advertising rates and information, contact The Laurel Independent Advertising Sales Manager Mike McLaughlin at mike@StreetcarSuburbs.news or 301-318-8965.

Interested in writing for The Laurel Independent? Have a news tip, calendar item or story idea? Contact Managing Editor Katie Jones at katie@StreetcarSuburbs.news or 410-259-0605.