Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Teen Charged As Adult For Rape, Murder Of Woman Found By Daughter In Maryland: Sheriff Teen Charged As Adult For Rape, Murder Of Woman Found By Daughter In Maryland: Sheriff Teen Charged As Adult For Rape, Murder Of Woman Found By Daughter In Maryland: Sheriff
Teen Charged As Adult For Rape, Murder Of Woman Found By Daughter In Maryland: Sheriff A 17-year-old will be charged as an adult for the alleged sexual assault and murder of a woman in Frederick County whose body was found by her daughter. Brunswick resident Juwan Terry Stewart has been arrested by local police following a weeks-long investigation into the January murder of Tammy Sue Coates, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday. On Jan. 22, officers from the Brunswick Police Department were called to a report of cardiac arrest in the 300 block of Ninth Avenue, where they were met by Coates' daughter, who advised that she found her mother dead inside th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Man Who Used Instagram To Traffic Illegal Guns To Felons In DMV Gets Prison Time Man Who Used Instagram To Traffic Illegal Guns To Felons In DMV Gets Prison Time Man Who Used Instagram To Traffic Illegal Guns To Felons In DMV Gets Prison Time
Man Who Used Instagram To Traffic Illegal Guns To Felons In DMV Gets Prison Time A Colorado man who took to social media to traffic weapons throughout the DMV region without a license will spend years in prison after admitting to gun charges last year, federal authorities announced.  Demarco Diggs, 26, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after using Instagram and other means to intentionally sell illegal guns online - largely to convicted felons who were prohibited from purchasing weapons through any other means. Prosecutors say that between September 2021 and September 2023, police recovered six guns in the region that were later determined to have been purc…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Your Community
One Airlifted To Hospital After Head-On Crash With School Bus In Maryland One Airlifted To Hospital After Head-On Crash With School Bus In Maryland One Airlifted To Hospital After Head-On Crash With School Bus In Maryland
One Airlifted To Hospital After Head-On Crash With School Bus In Maryland One person had to be airlifted to an area hospital following a head-on crash with a school bus in Charles County on Tuesday, officials say. On March 12, first responders were called to the 5000 block of Mason Springs Road in Indian Head, where there was a crash involving a pick-up truck and Charles County Public Schools bus, leaving one person trapped in the vehicle. Crews from the Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department were able to free the trapped driver, who was then taken by a helicopter to an area trauma center for treatment of undisclosed injuries.  A bus driver refused medica…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lusby, MD
Breaking News
Bald Eagle Rescued After Getting Stuck To Grill Of SUV In Southern Maryland Bald Eagle Rescued After Getting Stuck To Grill Of SUV In Southern Maryland Bald Eagle Rescued After Getting Stuck To Grill Of SUV In Southern Maryland
Bald Eagle Rescued After Getting Stuck To Grill Of SUV In Southern Maryland A bald eagle found itself in a precarious position and required rescue after riding shotgun on the grill of a vehicle traveling through Calvert County. Over the weekend, the county's Animal Control Office got a peculiar call when a driver unexpectedly picked up a new hood ornament not far from the nation's capital. Officials say that a driver on Route 4 accidentally struck the majestic bird, and when they stopped, they found the eagle still alive, panicked, and trapped in the grill of the SUV.  It took a team of Animal Control officers and members of the Calvert County Sheriff's Offic…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Man Wearing Ankle Monitor Busted With More Than Six Pounds Of Pot In Maryland, Sheriff Says Man Wearing Ankle Monitor Busted With More Than Six Pounds Of Pot In Maryland, Sheriff Says Man Wearing Ankle Monitor Busted With More Than Six Pounds Of Pot In Maryland, Sheriff Says
Man Wearing Ankle Monitor Busted With More Than Six Pounds Of Pot In Maryland, Sheriff Says More than six pounds of pot have been recovered from a man sporting an electronic monitoring device for a previous weapons offense in Charles County, according to the sheriff's office. Justin Tyler Pristoop, 20, was arrested again and faces new charges just months after he was charged and released in a separate case, authorities said on Wednesday afternoon.  Late last week, members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant in the 3100 block of Heathcote Road in Waldorf amid an ongoing investigation into alleged drug and weapon violations. During that search, off…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Body Recovered From Potomac River Near Key Bridge In DC (DEVELOPING) Body Recovered From Potomac River Near Key Bridge In DC (DEVELOPING) Body Recovered From Potomac River Near Key Bridge In DC (DEVELOPING)
Body Recovered From Potomac River Near Key Bridge In DC (Developing) An investigation has been launched after a body was recovered from the Potomac River on Wednesday, according to DC Fire and EMS officials. First responders were called to a stretch of the water north of Key Bridge shortly after noon on March 13, where there was a report made about a body in the river. Water rescue assignment Potomac River north of Key Bridge. Report of someone in the water. Land and water units investigating #DCsBravest — DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) March 13, 2024 Officials say that what started as a water rescue turned into a recovery after the body was found. It is …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Mechanicsville, MD
Your Community
Maryland Man Collects $1M Prize Playing Monopoly Lottery Game Maryland Man Collects $1M Prize Playing Monopoly Lottery Game Maryland Man Collects $1M Prize Playing Monopoly Lottery Game
Maryland Man Collects $1M Prize Playing Monopoly Lottery Game A Maryland truck driver who "passed go" and collected a bit more than $200 playing a Monopoly Lottery game is still in shock days later. An Allegany County man says he is still in disbelief after becoming the state's newest millionaire while claiming a $1 million prize after hitting the jackpot playing a "FAST PLAY MONOPOLY Properties" ticket that was purchased on Sunday during a run to get gas. The Cumberland man, who is a regular Lottery player, said that the seven-figure prize "is beyond our wildest dreams," after a low tank of gas fatefully led him to the golden ticket. According to th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Woman Accused Of Shooting At Driver During Road-Rage Incident: Police Maryland Woman Accused Of Shooting At Driver During Road-Rage Incident: Police Maryland Woman Accused Of Shooting At Driver During Road-Rage Incident: Police
Maryland Woman Accused Of Shooting At Driver During Road-Rage Incident: Police A road-rage incident between two women who knew each other led to a shooting in Anne Arundel County that landed a Waldorf woman in trouble with the police. Tawana Amari Watkins, 24, was taken into custody by members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office on Monday after a warrant was issued for her arrest in Anne Arundel County following an incident late last week. Shortly before 6:45 p.m. on Friday, March 8, officers were called to investigate a shooting on the ramp from Route 32 East onto the southbound lanes of the Baltimore Washington Parkway. Police say that the two women were involve…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Mechanicsville, MD
Breaking News
Gunshots Fired Into St. Mary's County Home, Sheriff Says Gunshots Fired Into St. Mary's County Home, Sheriff Says Gunshots Fired Into St. Mary's County Home, Sheriff Says
Gunshots Fired Into St. Mary's County Home, Sheriff Says Gunshots rang out in an otherwise quiet St. Mary's County neighborhood, prompting an investigation by the sheriff's office. Deputies were called to the 21000 block of Weeping Willow Lane early on Wednesday morning when a homeowner reported that there were gunshots fired into their home by un unknown shooter. No injuries were reported. Now investigators from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office are seeking the public's assistance as they attempt to track down a possible suspect. Anyone with information regarding the incident has been asked to contact Det. Warren Forinash by calling (301) …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Man Wanted For Indecent Exposure Busted Throwing Items Off Virginia Balcony: Sheriff Man Wanted For Indecent Exposure Busted Throwing Items Off Virginia Balcony: Sheriff Man Wanted For Indecent Exposure Busted Throwing Items Off Virginia Balcony: Sheriff
Man Wanted For Indecent Exposure Busted Throwing Items Off Virginia Balcony: Sheriff A man wanted for an indecent exposure incident in Stafford County tried his luck one too many times and is facing new charges after another strange episode at his Setter Circle apartment, officials say. On Tuesday afternoon, deputies from the sheriff's office arrested Stafford resident Jacob Corey Hudson, 30, after he was the subject of a welfare check while throwing items off of his balcony. According to a spokesperson from the agency, while attempting to check on the welfare of noncompliant suspect, deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office determined that Hudson was wanted for a…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 1115 of 3980 1,113 1,114 1,115 1,116 1,117 Next
11,141 - 11,150 of 39,799 articles