Several former elected officials in Arlington are expressing caution over moving too fast on potential changes to the county’s form of governance.
At issue at the moment is a proposal to form a working group to study possibilities. It has attracted skepticism from former County Board, School Board and General Assembly members advocating for restraint on embarking on change-of-government planning.
The Falls Church city government continues to chip away at its staff vacancies, but faces ongoing challenges with public safety recruitment.
The 8% vacancy rate recorded across all city departments in early November “is, I think, the lowest we’ve been since the pandemic,” City Manager Wyatt Shields told members of the City Council’s government-operations committee on Nov. 26.
For many employers, parental leave begins and ends with a policy. But while a policy may outline how much time an employee can take away from work, it often does not address the operational and human challenges that surround leave itself.
That gap is what Arlington-based startup Resilient Returns was created to solve.
Founded by Licensed Professional Counselor and working parent MJ Yost, Resilient Returns helps employers manage the full parental leave lifecycle, from planning and communication before leave to employee support and reintegration after return. The company’s leave-management platform combines structured processes for employers with resources designed to help employees navigate one of life’s most significant transitions.
Yost’s perspective comes from both her professional and personal experience. As a therapist, she spent years supporting individuals through family building, pregnancy, postpartum, loss and the transition back to work. As a working parent herself, she also understood the practical challenges of balancing a growing family with a career. Those experiences helped her identify a gap in how employers prepare for the realities of parental leave.
“We often hear from organizations that they have a great parental leave policy on paper and a plan for the baby shower, but no real system for transitioning an employee’s work before leave or supporting their return afterward,” says Yost.
The challenge is increasingly relevant for employers of all sizes. While organizations invest significant time and resources in recruiting and developing talent, many lack consistent processes for helping employees navigate major life events while remaining engaged and connected to their careers.
For small and midsize businesses in particular, getting parental leave wrong can be costly. Losing an experienced employee can create recruiting and training expenses, disrupt team operations and result in the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. For high-growth companies, the challenge can be even greater. Rapidly expanding organizations often rely on specialized talent, move quickly to meet customer demands and operate with limited redundancy. When a key employee takes leave without a structured transition plan, the effects can ripple across projects, client relationships and team performance.
Resilient Returns approaches parental leave as a business process rather than simply an HR policy. Employers can use the platform to create pre-leave coverage and communication plans, prepare managers for an employee’s transition, conduct guided return-to-work check-ins and track key milestones throughout the leave journey.
At the same time, employees receive resources designed to help them navigate the personal and professional transition into leave and back to work. That dual focus, supporting both the employer and the employee, is central to the company’s approach.
The need for that support can become especially apparent when circumstances do not go according to plan. While many employers have established processes for a typical parental leave, fewer have a clear approach for navigating unexpected challenges or complications. The way an organization responds during those moments can have a lasting impact on employee trust, engagement and retention.
For Yost, building those processes is about more than managing a period of time away from work. It is about helping employers navigate the operational realities of leave while giving employees a clearer path through the transition and back to work.
Members of the Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) are looking for ways to stay relevant despite new limitations on their responsibilities.
After County Manager Mark Schwartz directed the committee to focus less on individual capital projects, members are discussing working through commissions that report to the County Board to provide input on issues they deem important.
Back-to-School Time Means It’s Time to Get Your Home Back in Order!
The kids are heading back to school, and your family is getting back into a busy routine. Let Metro Maid Service take cleaning off your to-do list!
I-66 Crash on Camera — “Not sure how this happened. It’s on westbound I-66 underneath the ramp coming from Glebe Rd./Fairfax Dr. @VSPPIO and @ArlingtonVaFD still working to clear the scene.” [Dave Statter/X]
Art Sale This Weekend — “Looking for one-of-a-kind gifts this holiday season? The studio artists of The Studios at Arlington Arts (formerly LAC Studios) will hold their Annual Holiday Sale & Open House on Saturday (10:00am – 4:00pm) December 6, 2025. The Studios at Arlington Arts are located at 3700 South Four Mile Run Drive.” [Arlington County]
Delays at DCA — “Air passengers are slowly getting to their destinations following a weekend winter storm in the Midwest that created nightmares for those who traveled by air… As of Sunday night, Reagan National alone had over 450 delays, according to industry tracker Flightaware.” [DC News Now]
Bad Brains from Inner Ear — “The explosive power of D.C. punk rockers Bad Brains is legendary, and newly discovered live recordings from 45 years ago are adding to the legend. In a full-circle moment, the soon-to-be released double album has ties to Don Zientara’s Inner Ear Studio, in Arlington, Virginia, where Bad Brains did their first demo session.” [WTOP]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high around 43 today, with winds from the northwest at 5-10 mph becoming lighter in the afternoon, and possible gusts up to 18 mph. Monday night could bring snow and sleet between 1am and 4am, transitioning to rain and sleet, with a 70% chance of precipitation, clouds increasing, and lows around 30. Southeast winds will be 3-5 mph, and there may be less than half an inch of snow and sleet accumulation. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Join the Rosslyn BID and Arlington Arts at the 34th Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2026 featuring live jazz, food trucks, local vendors, and family-friendly activities in the heart of Rosslyn! This year’s lineup is bringing a diverse mix of performers and bands redefining the jazz music genre including Plena Libre, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Parlor Greens, and Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band.
The month of December is the busiest time of the long campaign for girls and boys varsity basketball teams across Arlington and Northern Virginia.
During those 31 days, some squads will play as many as 10 to 12 games, including contests in a variety of tournaments.
Holiday wreaths are returning to the graves of fallen service members in Arlington National Cemetery next month.
This year’s Wreaths Across America Day is on Saturday, Dec. 13. Beginning at 8 a.m., the annual event is expected to bring crowds around the cemetery as volunteers lay wreaths at thousands of headstones and columbarium niches.
The 2025 season was again a success, as usual, for the Bishop O’Connell Knights. But the girls high-school volleyball team fell short in its quest for postseason tournament championships.
O’Connell finished with a 22-3 overall record and advanced as far as the semifinals in both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and Division I state private-school tournaments.
It’s the biggest shopping day of the year. Are you going to be among the throngs?
There is a bit of a Yogi Berra “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” phenomenon where the mental images of crowded mall parking lots or swarmed big box stores keep some people away. But Black Friday’s reputation is well earned and many will end up doing some holiday shopping or discount hunting today.
We’re wondering what percentage of ARLnow readers will be Black Friday shoppers, either in person or online. Check any of the options below that apply.
Second Leaf Pass Starts Today — “Crews will complete second passes to vacuum leaves Monday-Saturday. Look for orange signs posted around your neighborhood 3 to 7 days before collection starts. Note: The date on the sign marks the beginning of the leaf collection window. Leaves may not actually be collected on that date, but should be left at the curb from that date until they are collected.” [Press Release]
Where the Leaves Go — “Know when the vacuum truck is coming by; rake to the curb ahead of time. Some 50K cubic yards of leaves are collected and turned into super-sustainable, publicly available mulch each year.” [Arlington DES/X]
Small Biz Saturday Ideas — “Just as good things come in small packages, great things come from small businesses. This year, shop local and you can get more than a good bargain. Here are three ways to give and get in Arlington, Falls Church and McLean.” [Arlington Magazine]
Local Holiday Bars — “The local cocktail scene is fire, and during the holiday season restaurants are leveling up with themed—and lavishly decorated—pop-up bars. We dare you to feel grinchy while sipping handcrafted cocktails from a ceramic cat wearing a bowtie, a glass snowman and other Insta-worthy drinkware. Get festive at these spirited spots.” [Arlington Magazine]
Snow Possible Next Week — “By Tuesday, the next chance of precipitation arrives, although the storm track is still uncertain. Rain, snow and/or a wintry mix is possible depending on how much cold air is in place; it’s also possible much of the precipitation stays to our south.” [CWG]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 41 accompanied by a west wind blowing at 14 to 17 mph, gusting up to 34 mph. For Friday night, the weather will be mostly clear with a low of around 27, as the west wind continues at 7 to 10 mph and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. [NWS]
