Meet the Marvelous Merrick, a male Retriever & Border Collie mix puppy available for adoption locally. Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:
Merrick truly is a marvelous little boy. Just 16 weeks old he’s still a puppy, yet not a tiny baby which has it’s advantages.
He weighs 11 pounds now which means he’ll likely be a pretty small guy when full grown, perhaps around 25 pounds, so he’ll be easy to bring along on all sorts of adventures.
He’s been lots of fun to have in our office where he gets along famously with the other office dogs around his size. This fabulous boy is a nice blend of friendly affection and normal puppy playfulness and will be great company.
Are you and Merrick a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
Virginia Tech has been making local headlines lately with the announcement of its Innovation Campus in the newly-designated neighborhood of National Landing.
While the new campus will help cement the university’s regional footprint, Virginia Tech has been quietly providing graduate education opportunities in the D.C. area since 1969.
Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business has offered its MBA programs in this region for decades and more recently made the decision to narrow its focus to working professionals in urban centers across the commonwealth.
“What we did at Virginia Tech a few years ago was to say that we really want to focus on the working professional — someone who wants to enhance their career or make a change in the direction of their career, but not at the expense of continuing to be a business professional,” says Pamplin Dean Robert Sumichrast. That allows those students to come into the classroom, he adds, “and use what they’ve learned as part of the experience of the MBA program.”
Arlington is home to the Executive MBA program, an 18-month, cohort-based option for mid-career professionals. The curriculum is centered around experiential learning modules that provide students with hands-on experience in topics like business analytics and leadership and governance.
The nationally-ranked Evening MBA program is based in Falls Church and designed to provide maximum flexibility. Students can change their course load each semester to balance work and other commitments. They also have the option to focus their degree in one of 10 specialization areas, including traditional business topics like finance and management, and some more niche areas like healthcare information technology.
The Professional MBA program is a 24-month hybrid option with once-per-month in-person classes that rotate between Richmond, Roanoke and Newport News.
Visit mba.vt.edu to learn more about Virginia Tech’s MBA programs, or register to attend an upcoming information session.
Meet Colby, a black and cream colored Retriever mix puppy available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:
This is cute and charming Colby. He is looking for his forever home where he can grow and be your faithful friend and family member.
He is two months old and will be a great companion that is just waiting to learn and see what all the world has to offer. Colby is up to date on all age appropriate vaccines and deworming. He will be microchipped before going to his new home too.
With all this cuteness how can you not want to adopt Colby! Puppy kisses from Charming Colby!
Are you and Colby a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
I don’t usually subscribe to the notion that there are good months and bad months to sell a home.
People have to move every day for a wide variety of reasons, but even I have to admit that the week running up to Labor Day is pretty darn sleepy.
That being said, 103 properties have changed hands in the past 30 days. We still have very limited inventory with just 170 houses on the market. The average days on market is 36. We should begin to see inventory climb as we move into the fall market.
Here are a few of the recent sales in Reston real estate.
12079 Kinsley Place
3 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $995,000
Sold Price: $977,500
1277 Lamplighter Way
4 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $789,000
Sold Price: $789,000
2143 Cabots Point Lane
3 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $950,000
Sold Price: $925,000
11400 Washington Plaza #804
1 BR/1 BA
List Price: $210,000
Sold Price: $200,000
1563 Church Hill Place
2 BR/1.5 BA
List Price: $324,900
Sold Price: $325,000
2318 Glade Bank Way
3 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $389,900
Sold Price: $384,000
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq.
Some states are beginning to offer victims of domestic violence employment law rights.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has not done so yet, but this article focuses on the jurisdictions that have enacted such legislation. The most major legislation in this area has come from New York and California. It is hoped that more states (and Virginia) will begin to enact these types of employment law protections for victims of domestic violence.
New York and California Laws Offer Employment Law Protections
The State of New York recently enacted Bill A5618/S1040, which offers employment law protections to victims of domestic violence. The new law enhanced previous New York protections which prohibited discrimination against victims of domestic violence within the workplace. The new law adds the following:
Reasonable Accommodation: The law requires employers to reasonably accommodate victims of domestic violence who must be absent from work for a reasonable amount of time to seek medical attention, therapy or legal services in connection with domestic violence.
Anti-Discrimination: The new law further ensures that domestic violence victims are considered a protected class and that employment discrimination against them is considered another form of illegal discrimination.
The State of California has enacted similar protections for victims of domestic violence. In some ways, the protections given to employees in California are slightly stronger than those in New York. California Labor Code §§ 230 and 230.1 provides employment law protections to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.
Like in New York, California requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to domestic victims. California also makes it illegal to discriminate or retaliate against a victim of domestic violence for taking time off of work to seek help.
Virginia Lags Behind in Protections
Virginia lags far behind in the protection of domestic violence victims in the workplace. The legislature should move to adopt a law similar to those enacted by California and New York to ensure that employees suffering from domestic violence are not terminated or discriminated against for taking time off to get medical or mental assistance needed in order to get better.
Currently, Virginia only protects victims of domestic violence (and other crimes) for the time taken to respond to a summons or subpoena related to the criminal proceedings. Va. Code § 18.2-465.1. Virginia also requires an employer to permit a victim of a crime to be present at all criminal proceedings related to a crime against the employee. Va. Code 40.1-28.7:2.
Virginia also offers suggested (not binding) guidance to employers asking them to consider allowing victims of all crimes (including domestic violence) to be able to attend court without loss of pay. Va. Code § 19.2-11.01(A)(3)(a). Virginia should follow the lead of New York and California and protect domestic violence victims in the workplace.
Conclusion
If you need assistance with employment law issues, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BerryBerryPllc.
Meet Ritz, a male Black & White/Tuxedo kitten available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say about him:
Ritz is a handsome tuxedo kitten with gorgeous white accents. He is as sweet as he is handsome.
He was a bottle-fed kitten, so he thinks people are his best buddies. He loves to cuddle.
He is also quite the sportsman when it comes to playtime. Ritz was born around May 1.
Are you and Ritz a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
Reston real estate continues to be strong in spite of August being a little sleepy.
Inventory is painfully low with just 188 active listings on the market. Hopefully we’ll see more houses enter the market after the Labor Day holiday as people get ready for the fall market.
Year-To-Date sales in Reston are strong. 856 properties have changed hands with a total value $416 million. Typical of Reston, the house prices range from a low of $124,000 to a high of $1,400,000.
Here are a few of the houses that sold this past week.
2318 Glade Bank Way
3 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $399,900
Sold Price: $384,000
11539 Pine Cone Court
3 BR/2 BA, 2 half bath
List Price: $484,500
Sold Price: $450,000
11404 Gate Hill Place #B
2 BR/2 BA
List Price: $359,900
Sold Price: $366,000
11990 Market Street #2002
3 BR/3 BA
List Price: $1,400,000
Sold Price: $1,400,000
11701 Newbridge Court
4 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $565,000
Sold Price: $571,000
By Nicola Caul Shelley, Synergy Design & Construction
Every project we work on has its own story, unique to each homeowner’s needs and personality. Whether it’s a family just about to have their first child or the kids are grown and getting ready to head off to college, every person’s “why” is different. This is one of the reasons we love what we do!
It’s impossible to single out just one as our favorite, so this month we decided to share some of our team’s top picks for our local remodels.
1. Liz, Office & Client Relations Manager
“This Reston kitchen and first floor remodel was one of my favorites because of how special it was for this couple to have their first permanent home given all of their military relocations. They put their trust us in even though they were not currently living in the area and we provided a beautifully finished home for them to move into to grow their family and settle down.”
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2. Matt, Lead Carpenter
“So many projects have had a real effect on me! If I had to pick one, I will go with this kitchen and family room remodel. Just seeing how much my work meant to the family and their way of embracing how Synergy did things, still resonates. The tears of joy and the hugs were amazing!”
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3. Mina, CEO
“I have too many favorites to choose from, however, I’m currently obsessed with a home we’re just finishing up here in Reston. Our clients fully embraced creating an “Intention Painting” (which is writing an “intention” on the walls in order to energetically connect with the purpose of their remodel). The thought and care they put into it and their focus on creating a positive vibe for all who enter their home really resonated with me.”
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4. Nicola, Director of Sales & Marketing
“As a past client myself, I love how Synergy focuses on how each client uses their space and how it can flow better. Every project is unique — there’s nothing cookie-cutter about any of the projects!
This kitchen remodel resonated with me because the homeowner had a beautiful contemporary design aesthetic, but, with 2 young children, the finished spaces were also family-friendly with lots of storage in a mudroom hidden away from the Kitchen.”
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5. Camille, Interior Designer
One of the projects I loved the most was this recent whole home remodel. It’s rare that you get to do an entire home remodel from major construction down to all new furnishings. It’s a designer’s dream to have a project like this! Watching the client’s vision come to life was the best part!”
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Meet Luke, a male Catahoula Leopard Dog & Shepherd mix available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:
What a beautiful guy Luke is with his interesting coat and soulful eyes!!!
This boy is only 10 months old and weighs about 75 pounds, although he will add more weight as he finishes filling out his lanky frame. Luke is such a happy boy (just look at his pictures!!!) we’re confident he will make his adopters a really great companion.
This boy is such a nice blend of friendly affection and normal puppy playfulness we’re confident he will steal your heart in no time. He is up to date on all shots and dewormings, has been neutered.
Are you and Luke a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq.
One of our major practice areas involves representing individuals in security clearance law matters.
We frequently speak to individuals who have issues or concerns relating to their security clearances and are seeking a new position elsewhere. We decided to put together some tips for employees that are changing positions in the context of holding a security clearance.
Tips for employees leaving one cleared position for another:
Leave Your Existing Employer on Good Terms
It is very important to leave your employer on good terms when taking a new position elsewhere. The better the departure, the less likely that you will have issues relating to your security clearance. Keep in mind that a former employer can still report security concerns about a former employee even when they have left.
I recommend the cordial departure approach with supervisors and the company and that the individual take every step possible to keep their former employer happy while you leave.
Know the Status of One’s Clearance Before You Go
It is important to know the status of your clearance before you leave. Too often we have seen a person accept a new position but not realize that their security clearance was out of scope or pending re-investigation, possibly leaving them without an active clearance when they leave.
There is also the possibility that a negative incident report is pending which is unknown at the time of departure. This is a major potential problem where an employee has left their position thinking that all is okay, but then later find out (usually after 2 weeks at the new job) that there is a problem with their security clearance which often leads to a termination.
Have the New Employer Check Your Status Before Leaving the Former Employer
The individual leaving employment should confirm and re-confirm with the new employer’s security office the status of their security clearance.
This is especially the case where an individual maintains a security clearance in one system, i.e. the Department of Defense JPAS database and attempts to move to a position with an Intelligence Community agency (i.e. NSA, CIA) which is covered by a different database known as Scattered Castles. Sometimes these two databases do not sync well which can cause issues and delays.
Individuals Having Security Incidents Should Take it Slow Before they Leave
One of the most common problems that we come across is when an individual knows that they have an incident report but they still attempt to move to the new employer before their security issue is adjudicated and cleared.
If an individual knows that they have an incident report pending they are typically much better off by staying with their existing employer who will likely keep them employed while the matter is adjudicated. The new employer is far more likely to tell an individual, only after they have left their prior employment, that their clearance has an issue and that they can no longer hire them.
Special Transition Notes
When there is a difficult transition like when the employer is upset with an individual leaving their position for another job it is important to be very careful what the employee takes when with them when they leave the office. We have had numerous cases where an employee leaves one employer under less than favorable circumstances and then the employer claims loss of confidential information and reports the employee to clearance authorities.
In particular, an individual should be very careful in what they take from their computer or printed files from the office. If there is any question, get permission from the employer. Some clients have been reported for taking company emails, files or other information, even if not classified which results in significant security clearance issues.
Conclusion
If you need assistance with a security clearance issue, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com or securityclearancelawyer.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BerryBerryPllc.
Meet Orion, a male Labrador Retriever mix available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Safe Haven Puppy Rescue have to say about him:
Orion and his siblings Olga and Olive are beautiful black lab mix babies, just 12 weeks old and now ready to go to their forever homes. Orion and Olga are a bit bigger than Olive at about 20 pounds but who knows if that will last. We think this group will be a nice medium size of 45 to 55 pounds when grown, give or take a little.
All three of these pups have friendly, happy dispositions and are fairly calm for puppies as you can see in their pictures — we often have to hold the pups to get any kind of pics at all, but these three were very cooperative and happy to pose during their photo session.
This great little guy is a nice blend of friendly affection and normal puppy playfulness and will be great company.
Are you and Orion a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
There are just 184 properties on the market in Reston today.
The market is generally very active with 142 properties in a pending status that are making their way through the settlement process. Days on market for pending property is short, averaging just 12 days. For property in an active status the picture is much different. 25% of the housing inventory has more than 100 days on the market.
If you have a property that’s been hanging around it’s time to ask your agent for a new set of comparables, chances are you’ve come on to the market too high to drive buyer interest.
Here are a few of the new houses to hit the market this week.
Meet Sam, a Domestic Short Hair kitten available for adoption locally.
Here is what his friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say about him:
Sam is a delightfully affectionate and fun-loving kitten.
He was a bottle-fed kitten, so he has really learned to love people! He also loves his siblings with whom he runs around and plays. He was also raised around a cat-friendly dog.
Sam will make someone a great buddy for life. Sam will be about 8 weeks old the end of June.
Are you and Sam a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of eight Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.
We’ve been acting like it’s summer and been a little slack in getting the weekly numbers out — we’re going to put on our serious face and do better.
So, here’s how the sales in Reston have been this past month. We continue to have low inventory with just 201 active listings. Settled transactions in the same time period were 135, so that means we have about 1.4 months’ worth of housing inventory; meaning that in theory, if no more houses came on the market we’d sell all of the available stock of houses in 1.4 months.
Here are some of the recent sales in Reston.
10753 Blaze Drive
4 BR/4.5 BA
List Price: $1,075,000
Sold Price: $1,050,000
1550 Northgate Square #12B
2 BR/1 BA
List Price: $249,000
Sold Price: $255,000
2020 Mock Orange Court
4 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $799,000
Sold Price: $799,000
2359 Paddock Lane
4 BR/3 BA
List Price: $649,900
Sold Price: $681,000
11539 Maple Ridge Road
3 BR/2.5 BA
List Price: $499,900
Sold Price: $510,000
1509 Chatham Colony Court
4 BR/3.5 BA
List Price: $454,700
Sold Price: $440,000
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By Kimberly H. Berry, Esq.
A new Virginia employment law has gone into effect that restricts what employees and employers can agree to in non-disclosure agreements as a condition of the employee’s employment.
On February 22, 2019, the Virginia Governor signed off on House Bill 1820, affecting all Virginia employers. HB 1820 was unanimously passed by both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate during the Virginia General Assembly 2019 Regular Session.
The new law specifically limits the scope of non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements between employees and employers regarding the disclosure or concealment of sexual assault claims.
The new law, at Va. Code § 40.1-28.01, prohibits a Virginia employer from requiring an employee or prospective employee from agreeing to a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement that attempts to conceal the details relating to a claim of sexual assault as a condition of employment. Under the new Virginia law, claims of sexual assault include claims of rape, forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery and sexual battery.
Va. Code § 40.1-28.01 provides that these types of settlement provisions are contrary to public policy, void and unenforceable in the courts. Va. Code § 40.1-28.01 further provides that the new prohibition on non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements will in no way limit other grounds that exist in law or equity for the unenforceability of any such agreement or any provision of such agreement.
The new law can affect new and existing non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements that attempt to hide claims of sexual assaults related to employment.
Conclusion
If you need assistance with a federal retirement or an employment issue, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BerryBerryPllc.
