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

Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Speed Believed Factor In Frederick Crash That Killed 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Actress Kaylee Hottle Speed Believed Factor In Frederick Crash That Killed 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Actress Kaylee Hottle Speed Believed Factor In Frederick Crash That Killed 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Actress Kaylee Hottle
Speed Believed Factor In Frederick Crash That Killed 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Actress Kaylee Hottle A Maryland crash that claimed the life of an 18-year-old actress is now coming into sharper focus. New details released on Tuesday, July 21, by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office indicate speed is believed to have played a role in the single-vehicle crash that killed Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress best known for portraying Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Deputies and Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue personnel responded shortly before 2:50 a.m. to the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville for a reported crash. According to investigators, a 1…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Predator Threatened To Send Teens' Nude Photos To Families, Churches: Feds Virginia Predator Threatened To Send Teens' Nude Photos To Families, Churches: Feds Virginia Predator Threatened To Send Teens' Nude Photos To Families, Churches: Feds
Virginia Predator Threatened To Send Teens' Nude Photos To Families, Churches: Feds Jesus Diaz didn't just ask for more nude photos from underage girls. The 25-year-old Virginia man threatened to send teen girls' nude photos to their families, schools, churches, and friends if they refused. His harrowing harassment even included a countdown if one girl refused. According to federal prosecutors, Diaz spent years preying on girls on social media, convincing them to send explicit photos and videos before using the materials for leverage. Diaz began targeting his first victim between July 2019 and November 2021, when she was approximately 13 to 14 years old. Then, afte…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
4-Year-Old Found Locked Behind Bungee-Corded Closet Door In Callaway Home, Sheriff Says 4-Year-Old Found Locked Behind Bungee-Corded Closet Door In Callaway Home, Sheriff Says 4-Year-Old Found Locked Behind Bungee-Corded Closet Door In Callaway Home, Sheriff Says
4-Year-Old Found Locked Behind Bungee-Corded Closet Door In Callaway Home, Sheriff Says There was a bungee cord on the door. Behind it, deputies say, was a 4-year-old child locked inside a dark, filthy closet like Harry Potter. The troubling discovery was made on Monday, July 20, after deputies rushed to a home in St. Mary's County on a report that a child was being held inside a closet. Deputies responded to the 20000 block of Roh Ranch Lane in Callaway, where they were given permission to enter the home, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Inside, they found a closet door secured shut with a bungee cord. When they opened it, they found the young child…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Husband Remains Unconscious After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Family Says Virginia Husband Remains Unconscious After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Family Says Virginia Husband Remains Unconscious After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Family Says
Virginia Husband Remains Unconscious After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Family Says One ordinary day. Then everything changed. A Virginia family is holding onto hope after Zaine Bennett suffered what loved ones describe as a devastating accident that left him with a severe traumatic brain injury and fighting for his life in intensive care. According to a GoFundMe organized on behalf of the Bennett family, Bennett remains in the ICU receiving specialized medical treatment and has not yet regained consciousness. His loved ones say the road ahead is expected to be long and filled with uncertainty. While doctors continue caring for Bennett, his wife has refused to leave his s…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Have You Seen Them? Search Continues For Washington County Teens Missing For Weeks Have You Seen Them? Search Continues For Washington County Teens Missing For Weeks Have You Seen Them? Search Continues For Washington County Teens Missing For Weeks
Have You Seen Them? Search Continues For Washington County Teens Missing For Weeks They disappeared nearly two weeks ago. Now, Maryland deputies are turning to the public for help. Two teenagers have been missing since the night of Wednesday, July 8, after they were last seen together in Williamsport, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Officials said 16-year-old Tayveon Hamlin and 17-year-old Amire Olowolayemo were both last seen around 6:30 p.m. in the area of Cedar Ridge Road. Hamlin is 5-foot-8, weighs 168 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. Deputies said he was last seen wearing a black Under Armour hoodie, black T-shirt, black sweatpants, an…

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by Zak Failla
Kingstowne-Franconia, VA
Breaking News
Tax Preparer, Franconia Museum Guide, Admits To Having 4 Million Child Sex Abuse Images: DOJ Tax Preparer, Franconia Museum Guide, Admits To Having 4 Million Child Sex Abuse Images: DOJ Tax Preparer, Franconia Museum Guide, Admits To Having 4 Million Child Sex Abuse Images: DOJ
Tax Preparer, Franconia Museum Guide, Admits To Having 4 Million Child Sex Abuse Images: DOJ Four million. That's how many child sexual abuse images and videos a Virginia tax preparer and museum guide admitted having when federal investigators searched his home, according to prosecutors. The conviction came Monday, July 20, after a federal judge found 39-year-old Nathaniel Carey Lee, of Springfield, guilty of two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, the US Department of Justice announced. The investigation began in December 2022, when law enforcement launched an undercover operation targeting a user seeking child sexual abuse mat…

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by Zak Failla
Springfield, VA
Breaking News
'I'll Do The Max Sentence': Springfield Man Learns Fate In Shenandoah Hatchet Attack 'I'll Do The Max Sentence': Springfield Man Learns Fate In Shenandoah Hatchet Attack 'I'll Do The Max Sentence': Springfield Man Learns Fate In Shenandoah Hatchet Attack
'I'll Do The Max Sentence': Springfield Man Learns Fate In Shenandoah Hatchet Attack He said he'd do the max sentence. Instead, he'll spend the next 78 months in federal prison. Springfield resident Soufiane Bougria, 31, was sentenced on Monday, July 20, for the bloody hatchet attack that shattered a late-night camping trip at Shenandoah National Park, where terrified campers called 911 after hearing screams and what they believed was a gunshot. The sentence comes four months after a federal jury convicted Bougria of two felony assault counts stemming from the Aug. 24, 2 025 attack at Mathews Arm Campground. Three different campers testified they heard chaos erupt from t…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Man's Joyride In Stolen School Bus Ends After Running Red Light, Sheriff Says Waldorf Man's Joyride In Stolen School Bus Ends After Running Red Light, Sheriff Says Waldorf Man's Joyride In Stolen School Bus Ends After Running Red Light, Sheriff Says
Waldorf Man's Joyride In Stolen School Bus Ends After Running Red Light, Sheriff Says A Maryland man didn't make it very far after allegedly stealing a school bus. The bizarre ride came to an end around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, when officers in Waldorf spotted the school bus run a red light at the intersection of Leonardtown Road and Old Washington Road, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Police attempted to stop the bus, but as the driver pulled over, he clipped a curb, causing minor damage to the front end. Fortunately, there were no children on board. Investigators say the driver, later identified as 34-year-old Waldorf resident Joseph Andrew Townse…

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by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Breaking News
Aberdeen Mom Charged Again After Young Girls Found Home Alone, Police Say Aberdeen Mom Charged Again After Young Girls Found Home Alone, Police Say Aberdeen Mom Charged Again After Young Girls Found Home Alone, Police Say
Aberdeen Mom Charged Again After Young Girls Found Home Alone, Police Say It happened again. The same two young Maryland girls who police say were left home alone earlier this year were found unattended inside their apartment once more, leading to a second child neglect case against their mother. Aberdeen Police were called to an apartment in the unit block of Northeast Road shortly before 11:35 a.m. on Thursday, July 16, after receiving a report that two children had been left alone inside. Officers found the girls, ages 3 and 5, by themselves in the apartment, where they also reported observing unsafe and unsanitary living conditions. Police said both childre…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Obituaries
'He Turned Boys Into Men': DC Coaching Legend Mason Clark Mourned By Generations 'He Turned Boys Into Men': DC Coaching Legend Mason Clark Mourned By Generations 'He Turned Boys Into Men': DC Coaching Legend Mason Clark Mourned By Generations
'He Turned Boys Into Men': DC Coaching Legend Mason Clark Mourned By Generations For more than six decades, if a kid in Washington needed someone to believe in them, there was a good chance Mason L. Clark stepped up to the plate for them. The man spent more than 60 years helping shape generations of young athletes throughout the DC area after co-founding the Woodridge Warriors Youth Organization in 1963, building what many describe as one of the city's most influential youth sports programs. Now, countless former players who simply knew Clark as "Coach Mason" are remembering him not only as a figure on the sidelines, but as a father figure, mentor, teacher, and communit…

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by Zak Failla
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