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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
Teen Charged As Adult After Threatening Student With Knife At Maryland School, Sheriff Says Teen Charged As Adult After Threatening Student With Knife At Maryland School, Sheriff Says
Teen Charged As Adult After Threatening Student With Knife At Maryland School, Sheriff Says A teenager in Southern Maryland is facing serious charges after allegedly threatening another student with a knife during an altercation at Great Mills High School on Friday. Deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were called to the building on June 5 to investigate reports of threats that were made by one student targeting another. Investigators say the student was confronted by a 16-year-old suspect who was brandishing a knife. The teen was able to leave the area and notified administrators, who contacted the sheriff's office. The suspect, who will not be identified due to …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Threatening Hospital Staff With Knife Runs From Officers At Shady Grove: Police Man Accused Of Threatening Hospital Staff With Knife Runs From Officers At Shady Grove: Police
Man Accused Of Threatening Hospital Staff With Knife Runs From Officers At Shady Grove: Police A man who allegedly threatened hospital workers in Maryland with a knife made a valiant effort to evade his arrest, but ultimately wound up in custody. Around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, June 5, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called to Shady Grove Hospital, where they were confronted by a man brandishing a blade and making threats toward staff members in the triage area. When officers attempted to take him into custody, he took off. Police say the suspect ran out of the emergency department and away from responding officers. Tasers were deployed during the cha…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Retired DC Officer Forgot His Glasses, Needed Help Reading $1 Million Lottery Win Retired DC Officer Forgot His Glasses, Needed Help Reading $1 Million Lottery Win
Retired DC Officer Forgot His Glasses, Needed Help Reading $1 Million Lottery Win A retired DC police officer knew something was up when he scanned a Maryland Lottery scratch-off in Hyattsville and saw what appeared to be a whole lot of zeroes staring back at him. The problem? He didn't have his glasses. Standing inside Chillum Wine & Spirits on Eastern Avenue, the District resident watched the Lottery scanner flash a message that immediately caught his attention. At first, he thought he was looking at three zeroes. Then he noticed three more. "It looked like three zeros, and then I saw three more zeros," he told Maryland Lottery officials after claiming a $1 m…

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by Zak Failla
News
Fake Adderall Pills, Meth, Industrial Pill Press Found In Virginia Garage, Feds Say Fake Adderall Pills, Meth, Industrial Pill Press Found In Virginia Garage, Feds Say
Fake Adderall Pills, Meth, Industrial Pill Press Found In Virginia Garage, Feds Say What looked like an ordinary garage was allegedly being used to manufacture and ship thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills across the country. Two Mexican nationals living illegally in the United States have now been sentenced to federal prison after prosecutors said they helped run a years-long operation that used methamphetamine, an industrial pill press, and darknet marketplaces to distribute fake prescription pills nationwide. The case centered around Venancio Martinez Antero and Cesar Adan Rojo-Ortiz, both 35, who were sentenced in federal court in Alexandria following a Homeland Sec…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Brewery Owner Rushed For Triple Bypass After Doctors Find Three 96 Percent Blockages Maryland Brewery Owner Rushed For Triple Bypass After Doctors Find Three 96 Percent Blockages
Maryland Brewery Owner Rushed For Triple Bypass After Doctors Find Three 96 Percent Blockages For years, Bill Skomski has been the guy people turn to when they need help. Now, the Antietam Brewery owner is the one facing the fight of his life. Skomski, the longtime face of the popular Western Maryland brewery, is preparing for triple bypass surgery after doctors discovered three major arterial blockages that supporters say are each approximately 96 percent obstructed. The diagnosis was serious enough that Skomski is being sent to the University of Maryland Medical Center for surgery, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by Antietam Brewery staff and family. “This is not a rou…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Funeral Plans Released For Maryland Firefighter Who Died After 24-Hour Shift Funeral Plans Released For Maryland Firefighter Who Died After 24-Hour Shift
Funeral Plans Released For Maryland Firefighter Who Died After 24-Hour Shift Maryland will say goodbye next week to a veteran firefighter-paramedic who died after finishing a 24-hour shift. Funeral arrangements have been finalized for Demair Lloyd, 44, a nearly 20-year member of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department who served out of Station 841 in Calverton. Lloyd died after completing a routine 24-hour shift, prompting an outpouring of grief from firefighters, police, public safety partners, and those who knew him across the region. Now, his firehouse family is preparing for a final farewell. Viewings will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 6 …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
5-Year-Old Girl Sexually Abused At Babysitter's Home In Virginia For Years, Police Say 5-Year-Old Girl Sexually Abused At Babysitter's Home In Virginia For Years, Police Say
5-Year-Old Girl Sexually Abused At Babysitter's Home In Virginia For Years, Police Say Virginia parents trusted a Woodbridge babysitter with their little girl.  Prosecutors say another adult living in the home turned that trust into a nightmare that went undetected for years. Woodbridge resident Jose Nahun Aleman-Hernandez is facing charges following a months-long investigation into aggravated sexual battery that was reported over the course of several years, according to the Prince William County Police Department. In late March, officers were called to investigate a sexual assault that was reported in a home in the 14000 block of Matthews Drive in Woodbridge invo…

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by Zak Failla
News
Truck Too Tall For Garage, Fire Systems Down For Years At Maryland DOT Site: OIG Truck Too Tall For Garage, Fire Systems Down For Years At Maryland DOT Site: OIG
Truck Too Tall For Garage, Fire Systems Down For Years At Maryland DOT Site: OIG A Baltimore city building where workers handle street signs, road markings, and special events work remains under a mandatory fire watch nearly two years after inspectors found its fire alarm and sprinkler systems were not working, according to a new report. The Office of the Inspector General launched the investigation after receiving a complaint about conditions at a Baltimore Department of Transportation maintenance facility. When OIG investigators visited the facility in February, they found a fire-watch notice posted on the front door warning that the building's sprinkler and fire alar…

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by Zak Failla
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
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