Last week, the Leader’s parent company, The Hagadone Corporation, announced that longtime Leader publisher Dan Drewry had been reassigned to The Whitefish Pilot, where he will assume leadership of the company’s weekly newspapers in Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork.

Oversight of the paper’s operations will now fall primarily to Laurie Ramos, the general manager and advertising director for the Leader, the Clark Fork Valley Press and the Mineral Independent.

Ramos is a Polson resident who also has strong family ties to Plains. She has been with the company since Nov. 2000.

Rick Weaver, regional publisher for Hagadone Montana Newspapers, said he was very happy that Ramos was assuming day-to-day operations of the newspapers.

“Laurie understands the Polson, Plains and Superior communities and she has done a great job in the past,” said Weaver. “I am extremely pleased that she is stepping into this important role.”

Drewry had been publisher of the Leader, Valley Press and Mineral Independent for the past seven years. Weaver expressed excitement regarding his transition to the Hagadone Montana Newspapers in the North Flathead.

“Dan’s experience and strong work ethic is going to help those newspapers continue to grow in the future.”