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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

Traffic
Maryland Church Torn Open After Pickup Truck Smashes Through Wall (PHOTOS) Maryland Church Torn Open After Pickup Truck Smashes Through Wall (PHOTOS)
Maryland Church Torn Open After Pickup Truck Smashes Through Wall (Photos) A pickup truck slammed into a Maryland church on Friday morning, tearing through an exterior wall and leaving a massive hole in the side of the building. The crash happened shortly before 10 a.m. at Seneca Creek Community Church on Firstfield Road in Gaithersburg, where Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews arrived to find the truck embedded in the structure. The damage was impossible to miss. Photos from the scene showed an entire section of the church's facade ripped open, exposing insulation, interior walls, and office space from the parking lot below. Debris was scattered across the …

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by Zak Failla
News
Private Jet Boss In Maryland Blew $15M On Yachts, Jewelry Instead Of Planes, Feds Say Private Jet Boss In Maryland Blew $15M On Yachts, Jewelry Instead Of Planes, Feds Say
Private Jet Boss In Maryland Blew $15M On Yachts, Jewelry Instead Of Planes, Feds Say A Maryland businessman who convinced customers to hand over $15 million to help buy private jets instead spent the money on yachts, jewelry, luxury living, and other personal expenses, federal prosecutors said. Now he's been convicted. Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis, was found guilty by a federal jury of six counts of wire fraud after prosecutors said he used his private aviation company to sell wealthy customers on a dream that never got off the ground. Britton-Harr owned and operated AeroVanti, a private air club that promised members access to private jets. According to evidenc…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
All Southbound Lanes Shut Down On I-95 In Maryland After Maryland Crash (DEVELOPING) All Southbound Lanes Shut Down On I-95 In Maryland After Maryland Crash (DEVELOPING)
All Southbound Lanes Shut Down On I-95 In Maryland After Maryland Crash (Developing) A crash on I-95 in Maryland has brought southbound traffic to a standstill Friday morning, with all lanes shut down in Howard County as emergency crews work at the scene. The collision was reported shortly after 9:30 a.m. on June 5 on I-95 South past Exit 41A for MD 175/Waterloo Road, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. By 10:15 a.m., transportation officials reported all four southbound travel lanes were closed, along with the right-side ramp and both shoulders. Traffic cameras showed a growing backup stretching beyond the crash scene as police, fire crews, tow trucks,…

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by Zak Failla
Real Estate
$9.5M Sale Of Bradley Beal's Former Maryland Mansion Rewrites Record Books $9.5M Sale Of Bradley Beal's Former Maryland Mansion Rewrites Record Books
$9.5M Sale Of Bradley Beal's Former Maryland Mansion Rewrites Record Books Bradley Beal's former Maryland mega-mansion just sold for one of the highest prices Montgomery County has ever seen. The former Washington Wizards star's onetime estate at 8913 Holly Leaf Lane in Bethesda sold for $9.5 million, making it the highest home sale in town since 2020 and the highest ever recorded in the Avenel community, according to HRLS Partners. Across Montgomery County, only the sale of former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder's palatial palace on the Potomac has fetched more during that stretch. Beal owned the Avenel estate from 2019 to 2023, back when he was stil…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
Who Heckled Jalen Brunson? Viral Video Tries To ID Courtside Spurs Fans Who Heckled Jalen Brunson? Viral Video Tries To ID Courtside Spurs Fans
Who Heckled Jalen Brunson? Viral Video Tries To ID Courtside Spurs Fans Who were the courtside fans jawing with Jalen Brunson? A video circulating on social media is trying to identify the man and woman who exchanged words with Jalen Brunson during New York's 105-95 comeback win on Wednesday, June 3, over San Antonio, after the star guard's heated interaction with the courtside fans went viral. UPDATE: A pair of OnlyFans models are skipping the rest of the NBA Finals after allegedly being harassed by the same fans who they say wound up at the center of Jalen Brunson's viral courtside confrontation during Game 1. The New Brunswick, NJ native and Villanova …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Hit 120 MPH In Stolen Camaro Before Crashing Into VA House, Running From Deputies: Sheriff Teen Hit 120 MPH In Stolen Camaro Before Crashing Into VA House, Running From Deputies: Sheriff
Teen Hit 120 MPH In Stolen Camaro Before Crashing Into VA House, Running From Deputies: Sheriff Two teens in Northern Virginia took deputies on a high-speed chase in a Camaro that topped 120 mph before the 19-year-old driver lost control and came to rest against a house on Wednesday night. A juvenile was taken into custody, and Manassas native Manuel D. Edwards is at large following a wild police pursuit through Warrenton, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office. Late on June 3, investigators say Edwards pushed the stolen Camaro to its limits after a License Plate Reader hit led deputies to clock him traveling 100 mph on Catlett Road in Calverton. The deputy attempted to st…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Shotgun-Wielding Man Threatened Kids, Neighbors During Maryland Tirade: Sheriff Shotgun-Wielding Man Threatened Kids, Neighbors During Maryland Tirade: Sheriff
Shotgun-Wielding Man Threatened Kids, Neighbors During Maryland Tirade: Sheriff A man who threatened kids and neighbors while brandishing a shotgun was taken into custody following a brief standoff with police in Western Maryland. James Daniel Marker, 48, terrorized his neighbors in Hagerstown on Wednesday, June 3, when he took out a shotgun and began making threats in the 11300 block of Dogwood Drive, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Upon arrival, deputies spoke with witnesses who said Marker made threats to kill children while holding a shotgun. He then barricaded himself inside his home. Due to the nature of the incident, the Washington County S…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Who Sexually Abused Animal Accused Of Child Porn Offenses In Virginia, Sheriff Says Man Who Sexually Abused Animal Accused Of Child Porn Offenses In Virginia, Sheriff Says
Man Who Sexually Abused Animal Accused Of Child Porn Offenses In Virginia, Sheriff Says A Northern Virginia man with an alleged taste for both young children and animals is behind bars and facing serious charges. Jann Karlos Ramirez Ayala, 37, was arrested and charged this week in connection with multiple crimes against children and animals in Loudoun County, the sheriff's office announced on Thursday, June 4. In April, officials say an investigation was launched by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office after detectives were tipped off about his alleged actions. Ayala was arrested on Monday, June 1 and charged with: Production of child pornography; Possession of child pornogr…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Daughter, Girlfriend Charged With Murdering Maryland Mom Found Dead During Welfare Check: PD Daughter, Girlfriend Charged With Murdering Maryland Mom Found Dead During Welfare Check: PD
Daughter, Girlfriend Charged With Murdering Maryland Mom Found Dead During Welfare Check: PD A 29-year-old woman and her girlfriend are facing murder charges after her mother was found dead during a welfare check in Maryland, police say. Clarksburg resident Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson and her partner, 36-year-old Phoenix resident Samantha Raebel, have been charged by detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police in connection with the killing of Hilde Henderson in Silver Spring last month. According to the department, at around 11:11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, officers were called to the Charter House in the 1300 block of Fenwick Lane to check on the welfare of a 67-yea…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Infant Dies From Dehydration, Malnourishment In DC Apartment; Mother Charged With Murder: MPD Infant Dies From Dehydration, Malnourishment In DC Apartment; Mother Charged With Murder: MPD
Infant Dies From Dehydration, Malnourishment In DC Apartment; Mother Charged With Murder: MPD A young mother is facing a murder charge after her two infant children were found suffering from severe neglect inside their Southeast DC home, according to police. One of them did not survive. Valencina Duke, 25, has been charged with the murder of 13-month-old Mazouri Jones, who was found in January with her 13-month-old brother inside an apartment suffering from dehydration and malnourishment, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. On Sunday, Jan. 18, officers were called to the 4700 block of Southern Avenue SE, where there were reports of an unconscious child. Inside, they fo…

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by Zak Failla
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