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Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

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Equal parts Lois Lane, J. Jonah Jameson and Vicki Vale, Zak! has traveled from coast-to-coast covering small and big town community news in both in print and online for nearly a decade since his graduation from the award-winning Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in 2010.

Before settling into the Hudson Valley, Zak! previously spent time in the New York Daily News newsroom and worked for hyperlocal digital news outlets on Long Island. He wrote sports for The Ithacan and The Ithaca Journal before taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest, where he served as the sports editor at the Shoshone News-Press until heading back east to work with Daily Voice.

Zak Failla's Contributions

Police & Fire
DHS Says Man Arrested Outside Baltimore School Dragged Officer, Faces Federal Charges DHS Says Man Arrested Outside Baltimore School Dragged Officer, Faces Federal Charges
DHS Says Man Arrested Outside Baltimore School Dragged Officer, Faces Federal Charges The controversial ICE arrest outside a Baltimore elementary school that sparked outrage from Maryland leaders is taking another turn. Days after the incident drew national attention, the Department of Homeland Security says the man at the center of the arrest dragged an ICE officer with his vehicle, fled toward the school, and now faces federal charges. The arrest happened on Wednesday, June 11, outside Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Southeast Baltimore, where federal agents detained two parents during school events, prompting criticism from Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore May…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
'Thayer Avenue Has Lost Its Mayor': Downtown Silver Spring Mourns Jose 'Luis' Flores 'Thayer Avenue Has Lost Its Mayor': Downtown Silver Spring Mourns Jose 'Luis' Flores
'Thayer Avenue Has Lost Its Mayor': Downtown Silver Spring Mourns Jose 'Luis' Flores The "unofficial mayor of Downtown Silver Spring" has died. For more than three decades, Jose "Luis" Flores, affectionately known as "El Jefe," was more than a familiar face at Negril on Thayer Avenue. He was part of the neighborhood's daily rhythm. Before offices opened. Before lunch crowds arrived. Before much of Downtown Silver Spring was fully awake, Luis was already there. Construction workers stopped in to grab breakfast. Parking attendants swung by to say hello. Regulars came for patties, sandwiches, and conversation. Some stopped by simply because Luis was there. "To know him was t…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Arlington Named One Of America's Best Cities For Small Businesses, New Study Finds Arlington Named One Of America's Best Cities For Small Businesses, New Study Finds
Arlington Named One Of America's Best Cities For Small Businesses, New Study Finds Small businesses in Northern Virginia are doing more than just surviving — they're thriving. A new nationwide study from Acuity Scheduling ranked Arlington as the No. 8 most supportive mid-sized city in the United States for small businesses, placing it among the top communities in the country for local entrepreneurs. The report analyzed more than 200 cities with populations under 400,000, measuring factors including the number of small businesses, customer reviews and ratings, search interest in shopping local, commercial rent costs, and walkability. Arlington stood out with an estimated …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Woman Airlifted After Car Flips Onto Roof In Overnight Suitland Parkway Crash (PHOTOS) Woman Airlifted After Car Flips Onto Roof In Overnight Suitland Parkway Crash (PHOTOS)
Woman Airlifted After Car Flips Onto Roof In Overnight Suitland Parkway Crash (Photos) A woman was flown from the scene by helicopter after a violent rollover crash left a vehicle upside down on Suitland Parkway and shut down part of the highway overnight in Southeast DC. The crash happened around 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, on inbound Suitland Parkway near Sheridan Road SE, according to DC Fire and EMS. By the time first responders arrived, the vehicle was resting on its roof. One woman suffered critical injuries and was airlifted from the scene by helicopter, according to DC Fire and EMS. Single Motor Vehicle Rollover: Inbound Suitland Parkway closest to Sheridan R…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
ICE Wants Custody Of Child Sex Abuse Suspect After Bel Air Arrest: Feds ICE Wants Custody Of Child Sex Abuse Suspect After Bel Air Arrest: Feds
ICE Wants Custody Of Child Sex Abuse Suspect After Bel Air Arrest: Feds A man accused of repeatedly raping and sexually abusing a child in Maryland was supposed to have been removed from the country years ago. Instead, federal officials say Yerlis Efrain Alvarez-Alvarez remained in the United States after receiving a final deportation order in 2019, living here until a yearlong fugitive investigation ended with his arrest in Bel Air earlier this month. Now ICE wants custody. The 32-year-old Salvadoran national is being held in Harford County after authorities arrested him on Friday, June 5, at a home off South Tollgate Road.  He's charged with three coun…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Paw-Some Rescue: DC Firefighters Free Tiny Dog Trapped In Metro Escalator (PHOTOS) Paw-Some Rescue: DC Firefighters Free Tiny Dog Trapped In Metro Escalator (PHOTOS)
Paw-Some Rescue: DC Firefighters Free Tiny Dog Trapped In Metro Escalator (Photos) A tiny dog found itself in a big problem at Farragut West Metro Station when its paw became trapped in an escalator, triggering one of the more unusual rescue calls DC firefighters have handled lately. Photos released by DC Fire and EMS show crews heading into the station and down to the platform level, where the small black-and-white pup was stuck and unable to free itself. Then came the happy ending. Firefighters were able to safely rescue the dog and reunite it with its owner, who looked a whole lot less stressed once the ordeal was over. "A small pup found itself in a scary situation …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Baltimore Murder Suspect Arrested At Home Weeks After Deadly Southwest Shooting: Police Baltimore Murder Suspect Arrested At Home Weeks After Deadly Southwest Shooting: Police
Baltimore Murder Suspect Arrested At Home Weeks After Deadly Southwest Shooting: Police A Maryland man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting last month is now facing a murder charge after being taken into custody by police, authorities announced. Dedrick Coates, 36, was arrested without incident on Thursday, June 11, at approximately 12:50 p.m. at a home in the 200 block of South Augusta Avenue, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Members of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force took Coates into custody in connection with the May 5 murder of Musa Witherspoon, police said. The homicide occurred in the 400 block of South Gilmore Street in Southwest Baltimore. Foll…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
'We Will NOT Comply': DHS Defies Virginia Mask Ban After Trump DOJ Files Suit 'We Will NOT Comply': DHS Defies Virginia Mask Ban After Trump DOJ Files Suit
'We Will NOT Comply': DHS Defies Virginia Mask Ban After Trump DOJ Files Suit Homeland Security is not waiting for a judge. On Friday, June 12, one day after the Trump administration sued Virginia over its new mask ban for federal agents, DHS made its position blunt: It is not complying. "To be clear: We will NOT comply with (Gov. Abigail Spanberger's) unconstitutional mask ban," the agency posted on Friday morning. The statement escalates an already explosive fight between Virginia and the federal government over masked agents, immigration enforcement, officer safety, and how far a state can go in trying to regulate federal law enforcement inside its borders. …

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by Zak Failla
News
Woman Killed When Tree Suddenly Falls Onto Trail During Stormy Night In Montgomery County: PD Woman Killed When Tree Suddenly Falls Onto Trail During Stormy Night In Montgomery County: PD
Woman Killed When Tree Suddenly Falls Onto Trail During Stormy Night In Montgomery County: PD A falling tree claimed the life of a Maryland woman who was struck and killed late on Thursday night during what should have been a routine evening stroll, according to Park Police. Shortly after 9 p.m. on June 11, first responders were called to a stretch of the Matthew Henson Trail in Silver Spring, where there were reports of a person hit by a felled tree as wicked storms rolled through the region. Upon arrival, first responders found the woman — who has not been identified — suffering from critical injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.e "Our thoughts and condolences are with …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
North East Man Assaulted Woman, Then Stalked Second For Months After Releases: State Police North East Man Assaulted Woman, Then Stalked Second For Months After Releases: State Police
North East Man Assaulted Woman, Then Stalked Second For Months After Releases: State Police A Maryland man accused of sexually assaulting a new neighbor before being released is back behind bars after allegedly stalking another woman for months, according to state police. North East resident Edward Jackson Bunn, 53, was arrested this week following a series of alleged assaults in Cecil County involving two women he terrorized — even after being temporarily locked up. Investigators say Bunn was first arrested in Cecil County on Friday, May 8, after a woman in North East reported being sexually assaulted in an apartment building. Following an investigation by the Maryland State Pol…

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by Zak Failla
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