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

Arlington, VA
Breaking News
One Knocked-Over Grill. Twenty-Two Bullets. One Dead. DC Gunman Convicted: Feds One Knocked-Over Grill. Twenty-Two Bullets. One Dead. DC Gunman Convicted: Feds One Knocked-Over Grill. Twenty-Two Bullets. One Dead. DC Gunman Convicted: Feds
One Knocked-Over Grill. Twenty-Two Bullets. One Dead. DC Gunman Convicted: Feds One knocked-over barbecue grill. That's all it took. A petty argument in Washington, DC, spiraled into an old-fashioned shootout that ended in a barrage of 22 bullets, leaving one man dead, a woman ducking for her life, and a gunman likely heading to prison. A Superior Court jury found 35-year-old Irv Duff guilty this week in the August 2023 killing of 26-year-old Darnell Gibson, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced. According to prosecutors, the violence began inside the stairwell of Duff's girlfriend's apartment building, where he knocked over a barbecue grill…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Person Of Interest Held After 19-Year-Old Fatally Shot Multiple Times In Fredericksburg: Police Person Of Interest Held After 19-Year-Old Fatally Shot Multiple Times In Fredericksburg: Police Person Of Interest Held After 19-Year-Old Fatally Shot Multiple Times In Fredericksburg: Police
Person Of Interest Held After 19-Year-Old Fatally Shot Multiple Times In Fredericksburg: Police A person of interest is in custody after a 19-year-old was found fatally shot following an argument in Northern Virginia, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department. Officers were called around 11:10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, to investigate reports of shots fired in the 200 block of Ivanhoe Court in Fredericksburg. Upon arrival, officers found 19-year-old Oscar Ruiz Mejia suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Fredericksburg teen was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Witnesses were able to provide officers with a description of the suspected shooter, which led…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
'Divine Intervention': Fredericksburg Family Of 6 Escapes Ceiling Collapse, Faces New Nightmare 'Divine Intervention': Fredericksburg Family Of 6 Escapes Ceiling Collapse, Faces New Nightmare 'Divine Intervention': Fredericksburg Family Of 6 Escapes Ceiling Collapse, Faces New Nightmare
'Divine Intervention': Fredericksburg Family Of 6 Escapes Ceiling Collapse, Faces New Nightmare For a family of six in Northern Virginia, the miracle came first, when no one was in the living room as the ceiling gave way. The nightmare came after. Gabriel Fernandez and Jessica Dove say their family was suddenly displaced when the ceiling inside their Fredericksburg rental home came crashing down into the living room, leaving a catastrophic scene. The collapse left the room buried beneath insulation, debris, fiberglass, dust, and mold-contaminated materials. "The most incredible part of this story is that, through what can only be described as divine intervention and a series of unusu…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland US 50 Shut Down After Overturned Truck Sparks Massive Traffic Backup (DEVELOPING) Maryland US 50 Shut Down After Overturned Truck Sparks Massive Traffic Backup (DEVELOPING) Maryland US 50 Shut Down After Overturned Truck Sparks Massive Traffic Backup (DEVELOPING)
Maryland US 50 Shut Down After Overturned Truck Sparks Massive Traffic Backup (Developing) What started as a crash has turned into a traffic nightmare on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Cambridge police, firefighters, and highway crews remain on the scene Thursday afternoon, June 25, after an overturned truck shut down westbound US 50 near 2nd Street, triggering miles-long backups approaching the city. The crash was reported around 9:48 a.m., according to the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. Officials say two vehicles were involved. As of 12:20 p.m., all westbound travel lanes remained closed, along with the westbound shoulder and left-turn lane. Th…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Thrown From Stolen Camaro During High-Speed Chase, Annapolis Teen Charged In Virginia: Sheriff Thrown From Stolen Camaro During High-Speed Chase, Annapolis Teen Charged In Virginia: Sheriff Thrown From Stolen Camaro During High-Speed Chase, Annapolis Teen Charged In Virginia: Sheriff
Thrown From Stolen Camaro During High-Speed Chase, Annapolis Teen Charged In Virginia: Sheriff A stolen Camaro. A high-speed chase. A violent crash that threw both occupants from the car. A pursuit through Fauquier County ended with 19-year-old Annapolis resident Kevin Antonio Cabrera Velasquez hospitalized after leading deputies on a high-speed chase in a stolen Camaro before a violent Route 29 crash, according to the sheriff's office. The chase began around 9:20 p.m. on June 21, when Fauquier County dispatchers alerted deputies to a license plate reader hit on Marsh Road south of Bealeton involving a reported stolen vehicle. The alert initially came back to a Toyota sedan with Mar…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
SUV Left Hanging Off Germantown Bridge After Violent Crash Shuts Down Busy Highway (DEVELOPING) SUV Left Hanging Off Germantown Bridge After Violent Crash Shuts Down Busy Highway (DEVELOPING) SUV Left Hanging Off Germantown Bridge After Violent Crash Shuts Down Busy Highway (DEVELOPING)
SUV Left Hanging Off Germantown Bridge After Violent Crash Shuts Down Busy Highway (Developing) It looked like one bad bounce away from plunging into the creek below. First responders in Montgomery County rushed to a stretch of Great Seneca Highway in Germantown early on Thursday, June 25, after an SUV crashed through a guardrail and ended up hanging off the side of a bridge, forcing a rescue and shutting down the busy roadway. Authorities were called shortly after 10 a.m. to the area of Great Seneca Highway and Mateny Road, where the vehicle came to rest wedged between a bridge wall and guardrail above the water. Photos from the scene show the SUV standing nearly upright with i…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Teen Charged After Rifle-Wielding Carjacking Suspect Sparks Officer-Involved DC Shooting: MPD Teen Charged After Rifle-Wielding Carjacking Suspect Sparks Officer-Involved DC Shooting: MPD Teen Charged After Rifle-Wielding Carjacking Suspect Sparks Officer-Involved DC Shooting: MPD
Teen Charged After Rifle-Wielding Carjacking Suspect Sparks Officer-Involved DC Shooting: MPD It started with a rifle pointed at a driver. Less than an hour later, police say that same violent spree ended with another rifle aimed at a DC officer. A 13-year-old is facing armed carjacking charges after a predawn crime spree in Washington, DC, that ended with an officer opening fire when one of the fleeing suspects allegedly emerged from the woods and pointed a rifle at him. The investigation began around 1:20 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24, in the 700 block of 19th Street NE. Police say two suspects walked up to a driver outside a gray 2026 Honda Civic. One leveled a rifle and demanded t…

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by Zak Failla
Linganore-New Market, MD
Breaking News
Burn Barrel Explodes After Burning Safely For Over An Hour, Severely Injuring New Market Dad Burn Barrel Explodes After Burning Safely For Over An Hour, Severely Injuring New Market Dad Burn Barrel Explodes After Burning Safely For Over An Hour, Severely Injuring New Market Dad
Burn Barrel Explodes After Burning Safely For Over An Hour, Severely Injuring New Market Dad A routine summer chore turned into a nightmare for a Maryland father of four who is facing a lengthy recovery after suffering critical burn injuries. In "just a matter of moments," everything changed for Nicole Hershelman and her husband, Samuel Hess, who suffered burns to 21 percent of his body outside their New Market home. Hershelman explained that for more than an hour, Hess, 27, was safely burning wood when it unexpectedly exploded, leaving him with injuries that include deep lacerations that required multiple surgeries, head trauma, and what she described as "an uncertain recovery pro…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Carjacker Who Killed Man Fighting For His Lexus In Dumfries Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney Carjacker Who Killed Man Fighting For His Lexus In Dumfries Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney Carjacker Who Killed Man Fighting For His Lexus In Dumfries Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney
Carjacker Who Killed Man Fighting For His Lexus In Dumfries Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney For days, he was just a face in surveillance photos. Now, the man accused of stealing a Lexus, running over its owner, and leaving him to die in a Dumfries apartment complex parking lot has been found guilty, Virginia prosecutors announced. Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Amy Ashworth announced on Wednesday, June 24, that a jury convicted 41-year-old Keith Anthony McBride in the July 2024 killing of Jose Vasquez Galvan. Jurors found McBride guilty on June 17 of: Felony murder; Felony hit-and-run; Grand larceny of an automobile. The case began shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturd…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Your Community
Maryland Man Who Overstayed Visa After Disney World Trip Faces Removal From US: ICE Maryland Man Who Overstayed Visa After Disney World Trip Faces Removal From US: ICE Maryland Man Who Overstayed Visa After Disney World Trip Faces Removal From US: ICE
Maryland Man Who Overstayed Visa After Disney World Trip Faces Removal From US: ICE "The Most Magical Place on Earth" was anything but for Alejandro Saul Rico, who was living in Maryland after overstaying his visa following a visit to Disney World, federal authorities announced. Rico, who has a criminal history that includes assault and sex offenses, was the subject of a targeted enforcement operation in Silver Spring, which resulted in the Argentinian national's arrest. According to investigators, Rico admitted that his family entered the United States on a tourist visa in Miami and traveled to Disney World. The family overstayed their visa, and Rico was later picke…

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by Zak Failla
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