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

Towson, MD
Breaking News
Men Who Tried Torching Evidence After Killing Baltimore Teen Learn Prison Fate Men Who Tried Torching Evidence After Killing Baltimore Teen Learn Prison Fate Men Who Tried Torching Evidence After Killing Baltimore Teen Learn Prison Fate
Men Who Tried Torching Evidence After Killing Baltimore Teen Learn Prison Fate A Maryland teen was killed, another was wounded, and prosecutors say the gunmen tried burning evidence in the woods before detectives chased them down after a deadly Baltimore shooting. Now, both men are headed to prison for the rest of their lives. Charles Robinson and Korey Hopson were each sentenced on Thursday, May 7, to life plus 30 years for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Denzel Johnson and the wounding of a 15-year-old boy during a 2024 attack in Baltimore’s Mosher neighborhood, according to the state's attorney's office. The shooting unfolded shortly after 3:45 p.m. on May 25, 2…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Search Intensifies For 14-Year-Old Boy Missing For Days In Maryland Search Intensifies For 14-Year-Old Boy Missing For Days In Maryland Search Intensifies For 14-Year-Old Boy Missing For Days In Maryland
Search Intensifies For 14-Year-Old Boy Missing For Days In Maryland A Maryland teenager has been missing for days, and now state police are asking the public for help finding him before time runs out. Chester Fitchett III, 14, was reported missing on Tuesday, May 5, after he was last seen around 3 p.m. in the 200 block of Baptist Street in Salisbury, according to Maryland State Police. Investigators in Wicomico County believe the teen may still be somewhere near Smith Street in Salisbury. Police described Chester as an African American boy with black curly hair and brown eyes who stands about 5-foot-5 and weighs approximately 120 pounds. He was last seen …

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
Florida Teen Terrorized Germantown Family With Fake Shooter Calls, Food Deliveries: Police Florida Teen Terrorized Germantown Family With Fake Shooter Calls, Food Deliveries: Police Florida Teen Terrorized Germantown Family With Fake Shooter Calls, Food Deliveries: Police
Florida Teen Terrorized Germantown Family With Fake Shooter Calls, Food Deliveries: Police A Florida teen who terrorized a Maryland family with active shooter calls and flooded them with unwanted food deliveries has been identified and charged, police say. The chaos unfolded over months in Montgomery County, where officers raced to a home on Severndale Terrace, believing gunfire, hostages, and an active shooter situation were unfolding inside. Instead, investigators say it was all a ruse. The first incident happened on Nov. 22, 2025, when Montgomery County officers responded to the Germantown neighborhood for reports of a shooting outside the home. Police were initially told an…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Airy-Woodbine, MD
Breaking News
Fake Mt. Airy Cop Tried Pulling Over Off-Duty Military Law Enforcement Officer: State Police Fake Mt. Airy Cop Tried Pulling Over Off-Duty Military Law Enforcement Officer: State Police Fake Mt. Airy Cop Tried Pulling Over Off-Duty Military Law Enforcement Officer: State Police
Fake Mt. Airy Cop Tried Pulling Over Off-Duty Military Law Enforcement Officer: State Police A police impersonator in Maryland picked the wrong driver to pull over. Mount Airy resident Eric Baummer found himself in actual handcuffs after posing as an officer and attempting to stop a military law enforcement officer in Baltimore County, according to state police. At approximately 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, the Maryland State Police Golden Ring Barrack received a curious call from a motorist reporting that a driver in a Ford Explorer was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on him in the area of the outer loop of I-695 at Washington Boulevard. Investigators say the motorist contac…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Rips Through Fairfax Business Before Sprinklers Stop Disaster Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Rips Through Fairfax Business Before Sprinklers Stop Disaster Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Rips Through Fairfax Business Before Sprinklers Stop Disaster
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Rips Through Fairfax Business Before Sprinklers Stop Disaster A Virginia salon was left blackened and smoke-damaged after a lithium-ion battery burst into flames inside a West Falls Church shopping center late at night, but firefighters say the outcome could have been far worse. The fire broke out around 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, inside a business in the 7200 block of Arlington Boulevard in Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue on Thursday. When crews arrived at the strip shopping center in West Falls Church, firefighters found flames burning inside the store. But the fire never got the chance to fully take over. Officia…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Woman Breaks Free, Screams For Help During Pentagon City Bathroom Abduction Attempt: Police Woman Breaks Free, Screams For Help During Pentagon City Bathroom Abduction Attempt: Police Woman Breaks Free, Screams For Help During Pentagon City Bathroom Abduction Attempt: Police
Woman Breaks Free, Screams For Help During Pentagon City Bathroom Abduction Attempt: Police A Virginia woman escaped a terrifying attempted abduction inside a Pentagon City business bathroom after police say a man covered her mouth and tried forcing her further inside before she broke free and screamed for help. Koby Berry, 28, who police say has no fixed address, was arrested on Wednesday, May 6, and is being held behind bars in Arlington County after assaulting a woman  The frightening encounter unfolded around 7:50 p.m. inside a business in the 1400 block of South Hayes Street, according to the Arlington County Police Department. Investigators say the woman was entering t…

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by Zak Failla
Indian Head-Nanjemoy, MD
Obituaries
Harry Washington III Remembered As Devoted Dad After Fatal Charles County Motorcycle Crash Harry Washington III Remembered As Devoted Dad After Fatal Charles County Motorcycle Crash Harry Washington III Remembered As Devoted Dad After Fatal Charles County Motorcycle Crash
Harry Washington III Remembered As Devoted Dad After Fatal Charles County Motorcycle Crash Harry Washington III is being remembered as a devoted father and faithful family man after he was killed and his daughter was seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in Southern Maryland. Now the family has questions. What started as a Sunday ride in Charles County turned tragic for an Indian Head family when the 32-year-old was struck by an orange Dodge Dart that sped away from the crash. Washington and his 9-year-old daughter were both rushed to trauma centers with critical injuries, where he died, and she continues to recover. "Harry was more than just a parent—he was a true hero to …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Northern Virginia Drug Dealers Flaunted Cash, Jewelry, Guns Before Massive Federal Bust Northern Virginia Drug Dealers Flaunted Cash, Jewelry, Guns Before Massive Federal Bust Northern Virginia Drug Dealers Flaunted Cash, Jewelry, Guns Before Massive Federal Bust
Northern Virginia Drug Dealers Flaunted Cash, Jewelry, Guns Before Massive Federal Bust Two Northern Virginia men who flaunted mountains of cash, designer jewelry, and guns while trafficking deadly counterfeit fentanyl pills across the DMV are now headed to federal prison for decades, prosecutors announced. Dontavious Rashid Whitaker, 28, of Alexandria, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while D’Moni Anthony Moten, 27, of Woodbridge, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months for their roles in a years-long drug trafficking conspiracy tied to fentanyl, heroin, and carfentanil. And investigators say the numbers behind the operation were staggering. According to federal prose…

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by Zak Failla
McLean, VA
Breaking News
Driver Who Fled Secret Service, Killed McLean Woman Near White House In DC Convicted: Feds Driver Who Fled Secret Service, Killed McLean Woman Near White House In DC Convicted: Feds Driver Who Fled Secret Service, Killed McLean Woman Near White House In DC Convicted: Feds
Driver Who Fled Secret Service, Killed McLean Woman Near White House In DC Convicted: Feds The erratic driver who killed a 31-year-old data engineer from Virginia while fleeing from Secret Service agents in Washington, DC is facing a lengthy prison stay. Spiro Stafilatos, 38, was convicted by a jury in DC Superior Court for the vehicular death of pedestrian Shuyu Sui in December 2022 while he was attempting to avoid authorities, according to officials. Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2022, Stafilatos was driving a dark Buick LeSabre sedan along the 700 block of 14th Street, NW, near the White House with no front tag and a missing sticker on the Maryland hard tag on the back.…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Cellmate Eyed As Suspect After Inmate Found Dead In Cell At Maryland Correctional Facility: MSP Cellmate Eyed As Suspect After Inmate Found Dead In Cell At Maryland Correctional Facility: MSP Cellmate Eyed As Suspect After Inmate Found Dead In Cell At Maryland Correctional Facility: MSP
Cellmate Eyed As Suspect After Inmate Found Dead In Cell At Maryland Correctional Facility: MSP An inmate was found dead inside his prison cell in Maryland, and now state police believe the man’s cellmate may have been involved. Christopher White, 33, was pronounced dead after he was discovered unresponsive inside a cell at Western Correctional Institution in Allegany County, according to Maryland State Police. Investigators say White’s cellmate was inside the cell at the time of his death and has since been identified as a suspect. For now, though, police are not publicly naming the inmate because charges have not yet been filed. The investigation began shortly before 3 p.m. o…

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by Zak Failla
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