Northern Virginia local news veteran Emily Leayman is joining ARLnow and its sister sites in the role of Senior Reporter.
Leayman was previously an editor at Patch, where she covered numerous major local news events, as well as stories of more hyperlocal interest in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and elsewhere. Leayman’s 8+ year tenure at Patch followed a stint reporting on education policy and two years as editor-in-chief at her college newspaper in Pennsylvania.
In her new role, Leayman will report for all three Local News Now sites — ARLnow, ALXnow and FFXnow — on varied topics, both local and statewide. She will also assist with editing.
The hire will expand the reporting capabilities and institutional expertise of all three Northern Virginia sites, while bringing the size of our full-time editorial staff to back to seven reporters and editors, following the departure of Vernon Miles this past fall.
Leayman’s first day is Tuesday.
Today is my last day at Patch. I will miss it after nearly 9 years of tackling local news in many Northern Virginia communities.
I'll be staying in local news. Next week, I will join ARLnow, ALXnow and FFXnow as a senior reporter. https://t.co/jAjDdcMXHP— Emily Leayman (@EmilyLeayman) January 2, 2026
