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

Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Your Community
Body Found Near Potomac High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation In Dumfries: Police Body Found Near Potomac High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation In Dumfries: Police Body Found Near Potomac High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation In Dumfries: Police
Body Found Near Potomac High School Campus Sparks Death Investigation In Dumfries: Police A death investigation has been launched in Northern Virginia after a dead body was found on a high school campus, police say. Officers from the Prince William County Police Department were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, to Potomac High School in Dumfries, where a 39-year-old man was found unconscious in the woods. The man, who investigators noted had no affiliation to the school, was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. There were no signs of foul play, according to police, and there is no ongoing threat to the community concerning the death. "More infor…

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by Zak Failla
Thurmont-Emmitsburg, MD
Obituaries
Community Grieves 22-Year-Old Killed In Frederick Crash As Family Faces 'Unimaginable' Loss Community Grieves 22-Year-Old Killed In Frederick Crash As Family Faces 'Unimaginable' Loss Community Grieves 22-Year-Old Killed In Frederick Crash As Family Faces 'Unimaginable' Loss
Community Grieves 22-Year-Old Killed In Frederick Crash As Family Faces 'Unimaginable' Loss A Maryland community is grieving a 22-year-old man killed in a crash on US-15, as friends and loved ones try to come to terms with a loss they say feels like losing family. Samuel Adetayo-Oguntade was killed Monday morning, April 27, after a single-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of the highway near Motters Station Road, according to Frederick County Fire & Rescue officials. Crews were dispatched around 7:30 a.m. for a vehicle that had struck a guardrail, trapping multiple people inside.  Two occupants had to be extricated from the wreckage, and several others were rushed to…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Gunfire, Crash, Foot Chase In DC Ends With Felon Back In Federal Prison: FOJ Gunfire, Crash, Foot Chase In DC Ends With Felon Back In Federal Prison: FOJ Gunfire, Crash, Foot Chase In DC Ends With Felon Back In Federal Prison: FOJ
Gunfire, Crash, Foot Chase In DC Ends With Felon Back In Federal Prison: FOJ A DC man who fired a weapon, crashed a car, and ran through traffic with a loaded handgun has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. Kiyel Kearney, 23, was sentenced to 40 months behind bars after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The chaos began late on May 10, 2025, when officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a ShotSpotter alert just before 11:45 p.m. in the 1200 block of Harvard Street NW. Officers soon spotted a gray Acura speeding through a red light at S…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Breaking News
Head-On Crash In Bowie Leaves One Dead, Another Driver Critically Hurt: Police Head-On Crash In Bowie Leaves One Dead, Another Driver Critically Hurt: Police Head-On Crash In Bowie Leaves One Dead, Another Driver Critically Hurt: Police
Head-On Crash In Bowie Leaves One Dead, Another Driver Critically Hurt: Police A 25-year-old man is dead and a second driver was critically injured in a head-on crash in Maryland, authorities announced. Laurel resident Mohammed Al Yasiri has been identified by the Prince George's County Police Department as the person killed in an early-morning crash on Tuesday morning in Bowie. Investigators say that around 6:45 a.m. on April 28, officers were called to the area of Laurel Bowie Road and Old Laurel Bowie Road in the unincorporated section of Bowie, where Al Yasiri crossed into the opposite lanes and struck another vehicle. Al Yasiri was rushed to an area hospita…

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by Zak Failla
Cloverly-Colesville-Fairland, MD
Breaking News
Student With Gun Detained, Teen Hospitalized After Parking Lot Fight At Blake HS (UPDATED) Student With Gun Detained, Teen Hospitalized After Parking Lot Fight At Blake HS (UPDATED) Student With Gun Detained, Teen Hospitalized After Parking Lot Fight At Blake HS (UPDATED)
Student With Gun Detained, Teen Hospitalized After Parking Lot Fight At Blake HS (Updated) A Maryland high school was placed on hold after police responded to reports of a student with a firearm on campus. Officers were called at 11:29 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, to Blake High School in Montgomery County, where the situation unfolded, according to Montgomery County Police. The firearm was quickly located, and a 19-year-old student was detained. No injuries were reported. Investigators determined that there was a fight in the school parking lot, during which, a handgun fell to the ground. Shortly after the fight a teen arrived at an area hospital with a gunshot wound. Police say …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Masked Suspect Caught After Attempted Break-In At Spotsylvania Business, Sheriff Says Masked Suspect Caught After Attempted Break-In At Spotsylvania Business, Sheriff Says Masked Suspect Caught After Attempted Break-In At Spotsylvania Business, Sheriff Says
Masked Suspect Caught After Attempted Break-In At Spotsylvania Business, Sheriff Says A masked suspect was caught trying to break into a Virginia business early Wednesday morning before leading deputies on a brief foot chase. Steven Tankersley III, 45, of Caroline County, was arrested around 3:33 a.m. on April 29 after deputies responded to a commercial alarm in the 3500 block of Shalaby Way in Spotsylvania County, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies arrived within minutes and found Tankersley wearing a mask while attempting to force his way into the business. He ran when he saw law enforcement. The foot chase didn’t last long. Tankersley was quickly caught an…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Inmate Found Dead In Cell, Homicide Investigation Underway: State Police Maryland Inmate Found Dead In Cell, Homicide Investigation Underway: State Police Maryland Inmate Found Dead In Cell, Homicide Investigation Underway: State Police
Maryland Inmate Found Dead In Cell, Homicide Investigation Underway: State Police A Maryland prison inmate was found dead inside his cell, prompting a homicide investigation by state police. Omar Valdez-Granados, 23, was discovered unresponsive around 9 a.m. on Monday, April 27, at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland State Police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel and later taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. Investigators believe Valdez-Granados’ cellmate was inside the cell at the time he was found, according to preliminary findings. The Ma…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Second Maryland Highway Worker Killed In 72 Hours After Safety Week Ends: State Police Second Maryland Highway Worker Killed In 72 Hours After Safety Week Ends: State Police Second Maryland Highway Worker Killed In 72 Hours After Safety Week Ends: State Police
Second Maryland Highway Worker Killed In 72 Hours After Safety Week Ends: State Police A second Maryland highway worker has been killed just days after the state marked the end of Work Zone Safety Week. Dipakkumar Patel, 70, of Delmar, was killed shortly before 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, in a crash on northbound US 13 at King Miller Road in Princess Anne, Maryland State Police said. Patel was sitting inside a marked Maryland Department of Transportation vehicle while working on a highway maintenance project when another driver slammed into the rear of his car, according to investigators. He was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. The crash comes jus…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Obituaries
Maryland Father Dies Weeks After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis, Leaving Behind 8-Year-Old Son Maryland Father Dies Weeks After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis, Leaving Behind 8-Year-Old Son Maryland Father Dies Weeks After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis, Leaving Behind 8-Year-Old Son
Maryland Father Dies Weeks After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis, Leaving Behind 8-Year-Old Son A Maryland father is being remembered for a life of dedication and love after dying just weeks after being diagnosed with stage four cancer, leaving behind his young son and a grieving community. Calvin Dewitt Bellamy Jr., 44, died on Wednesday, April 22, less than a month after doctors diagnosed him with advanced cancer in early April, according to family members. His illness progressed so quickly that doctors were unable to stabilize him long enough to begin treatment. "His illness progressed quickly, and due to severe breathing complications, doctors were unable to stabilize him eno…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Host Who Abused Teen Foreign Exchange Student Gets Life In Prison: DOJ Virginia Host Who Abused Teen Foreign Exchange Student Gets Life In Prison: DOJ Virginia Host Who Abused Teen Foreign Exchange Student Gets Life In Prison: DOJ
Virginia Host Who Abused Teen Foreign Exchange Student Gets Life In Prison: DOJ A Virginia man who hosted a foreign exchange student in his home will spend the rest of his life in prison after sexually abusing her and continuing to prey on her when she returned to her home country, federal authorities announced. Anthony George Ruggiero, 42, of Gloucester, was convicted late last year of coercion and enticement and receipt of child sexual abuse material following a trial connected to a teenager he hosted in Virginia. On Tuesday, April 28, authorities announced that Ruggiero was sentenced to life in prison. The case centers on a student who arrived in Gloucester in 2021…

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by Zak Failla
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