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

Hyattsville, MD
On Your Side
Bus Driver Wins $5M On Number 59 Days After 59th Birthday On Ticket Sold At Hyattsville Store Bus Driver Wins $5M On Number 59 Days After 59th Birthday On Ticket Sold At Hyattsville Store Bus Driver Wins $5M On Number 59 Days After 59th Birthday On Ticket Sold At Hyattsville Store
Bus Driver Wins $5M On Number 59 Days After 59th Birthday On Ticket Sold At Hyattsville Store Happy Birthday!  A school bus driver from DC gave himself an unexpected 59th birthday surprise: a $5 million Maryland Lottery jackpot that's going to benefit the whole family. Maurice Williams was all smiles on Tuesday, May 5, days after his birthday, when he went to Lottery Headquarters in Baltimore to claim the first $5 million top prize on the $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off game. Williams said he was on his way to work when he stopped by 7-Eleven in the 7200 block of Sheriff Road in Hyattsville to cash in a $50 prize he previously won playing the same ticket. His new prize had a few …

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
Teen Jumps Behind Wheel, Sparks Wild Chase Through St. Marry's County Shopping Center: Sheriff Teen Jumps Behind Wheel, Sparks Wild Chase Through St. Marry's County Shopping Center: Sheriff Teen Jumps Behind Wheel, Sparks Wild Chase Through St. Marry's County Shopping Center: Sheriff
Teen Jumps Behind Wheel, Sparks Wild Chase Through St. Marry's County Shopping Center: Sheriff A Maryland teenager was too fast and too furious and found himself behind bars facing a host of weapons charges following a police pursuit, authorities announced. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, a deputy from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office spotted a Mitsubishi Mirage cross the double yellow center lines while traveling southbound on Route 4 near Kingston Creek Road in California. What came next was unexpected. The deputy continued to observe the vehicle as it entered the parking lot of a closed business in the Laurel Glen Shopping Center. A second vehicle entered th…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Airy-Woodbine, MD
Breaking News
Partial Roof Collapse Reported In Two-Alarm Blaze At Historic Mt. Airy Church: Fire Marshal Partial Roof Collapse Reported In Two-Alarm Blaze At Historic Mt. Airy Church: Fire Marshal Partial Roof Collapse Reported In Two-Alarm Blaze At Historic Mt. Airy Church: Fire Marshal
Partial Roof Collapse Reported In Two-Alarm Blaze At Historic Mt. Airy Church: Fire Marshal A historic Maryland church suffered catastrophic damage after flames ripped through the building in Carroll County, sending heavy smoke pouring into the sky for more than an hour. Firefighters were called shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, to the Mt. Airy Mennonite Church on Watersville Road for a reported building fire, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Carroll County church was not actively being used at the time of the fire, though officials said the property was still being maintained. Photos from the scene showed flames tearing through the roof as fire…

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by Zak Failla
Fallston, MD
Breaking News
Teen Airlifted After Electric Dirt Bike Crash On Fallston Highway Dies At Hospital: Police Teen Airlifted After Electric Dirt Bike Crash On Fallston Highway Dies At Hospital: Police Teen Airlifted After Electric Dirt Bike Crash On Fallston Highway Dies At Hospital: Police
Teen Airlifted After Electric Dirt Bike Crash On Fallston Highway Dies At Hospital: Police A teen on an electric dirt bike who was struck by a driver on a Maryland highway died from his injuries, state police confirmed on Wednesday. Troopers in Harford County were called around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, to investigate reports of a crash involving a 16-year-old from Fallston and a Honda CR-V in the area of Maryland Route 152 and Pleasantville Road. Investigators say the driver was heading south on Route 152 and attempted to make a left turn onto Pleasantville Road. The teen was riding north on Route 152 when he struck the passenger side of the vehicle. The teen was airlifted b…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Man Accused Of Torching Jiffy Lube In Blaze Causing $225K In Damage: Officials Silver Spring Man Accused Of Torching Jiffy Lube In Blaze Causing $225K In Damage: Officials Silver Spring Man Accused Of Torching Jiffy Lube In Blaze Causing $225K In Damage: Officials
Silver Spring Man Accused Of Torching Jiffy Lube In Blaze Causing $225K In Damage: Officials A firebug has been apprehended days after a blaze broke out in a Maryland business, causing upwards of $225,000 in damage, authorities announced. Aubrey Michelle Ellis, 57, is facing multiple charges following an investigation into a fire that broke out at Jiffy Lube in Silver Spring late last month, acco ng to a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson. At approximately 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29, crews were called to Auto Sales Park in the 3200 block of Automobile Boulevard near Briggs Chaney Road, where there were reports of a fire. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Upon arrival, fir…

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by Zak Failla
Westminster, MD
Breaking News
Westminster Man With Tourette Syndrome Rebuilding Life After Parents Die In Murder-Suicide Westminster Man With Tourette Syndrome Rebuilding Life After Parents Die In Murder-Suicide Westminster Man With Tourette Syndrome Rebuilding Life After Parents Die In Murder-Suicide
Westminster Man With Tourette Syndrome Rebuilding Life After Parents Die In Murder-Suicide A Maryland man with Tourette syndrome is now trying to rebuild his life after losing both of his parents in a murder-suicide that shattered the routine and support system he depended on every day. David Schuessler, a longtime employee at MD Collision in Westminster, suddenly found himself without a home or caretaker after the deaths of his parents in Carroll County last month. For more than a decade, Schuessler has worked at the shop cleaning cars, helping keep the business running, and earning a reputation as someone coworkers could always count on. But according to loved ones, his father…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Netflix Revisits Murder Of Arlington Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Designer Found Dead In Bathtub Netflix Revisits Murder Of Arlington Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Designer Found Dead In Bathtub Netflix Revisits Murder Of Arlington Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Designer Found Dead In Bathtub
Netflix Revisits Murder Of Arlington Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Designer Found Dead In Bathtub One of New York's most infamous murder mysteries is back in the spotlight. The case of Arlington fashion designer Sylvie Cachay, who was killed by boyfriend Nicholas Brooks in 2010, is being re-examined in the new season of "New York Homicide" in the third episode, titled "Soho Horror."  "When a promising fashion designer is found dead in a bathtub, detectives must unravel what really happened at a private members' club on her final night," the tagline for the episode reads. Cachay, a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Peru, studied fashion at Marymount College an…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Hydrochloric Acid Leak Triggers Massive HazMat Response At Baltimore Rail Yard Hydrochloric Acid Leak Triggers Massive HazMat Response At Baltimore Rail Yard Hydrochloric Acid Leak Triggers Massive HazMat Response At Baltimore Rail Yard
Hydrochloric Acid Leak Triggers Massive HazMat Response At Baltimore Rail Yard A hazardous materials response was launched in Maryland after a hydrochloric acid leak was reported from a rail car in Baltimore. The Baltimore City Fire Department was called shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, to the 800 block of Chesapeake Avenue near 9th Street for a reported chemical leak from a CSX rail car, according to officials. HazMat crews arrived and immediately began working to identify and contain the source of the leak inside the rail yard. Fire officials said the substance involved was hydrochloric acid, prompting a specialized response from hazardous materials team…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say
MS-13 Gang Member Wanted In El Salvador Arrested By ICE Agents In Virginia, Feds Say A suspected MS-13 gang member wanted for extortion and robbery in El Salvador was arrested in Virginia, according to federal officials. Josue Saul Garcia-Lopez was taken into custody on Monday, May 4, when ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents from Harrison tracked him down and re-arrested him. Garcia-Lopez, a Salvadoran native, has been identified in an international warrant as an active member of the MS-13 gang and tied to extortion and robbery schemes in his home country, officials noted. Federal officials say he entered the United States at an unknown time and location. He also …

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by Zak Failla
Montgomery Village, MD
Breaking News
Montgomery Village Man Who Shot, Killed Rival During Bar Fight He Was Losing In DC Guilty: Feds Montgomery Village Man Who Shot, Killed Rival During Bar Fight He Was Losing In DC Guilty: Feds Montgomery Village Man Who Shot, Killed Rival During Bar Fight He Was Losing In DC Guilty: Feds
Montgomery Village Man Who Shot, Killed Rival During Bar Fight He Was Losing In DC Guilty: Feds A Maryland man who pulled out a gun and fatally shot someone during a bar fight he was losing in DC is set to spend decades in prison, federal authorities announced. Montgomery Village native Robert Lowe, 42, was convicted by a Superior Court jury in DC in connection with the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Kenneth Goins in April 2024. According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, shortly after 1 a.m. on April 27, 2024, Lowe and Goins were inside Desperados Burger and Bar in the 1300 block of U Street NW when the brawl broke out. Prosecutors say Lowe walked up to the bar behind …

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by Zak Failla
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