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

Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
WATCH: Massive Fire Destroys Mobile Home In Chantilly As Flames Tower Into Sky WATCH: Massive Fire Destroys Mobile Home In Chantilly As Flames Tower Into Sky WATCH: Massive Fire Destroys Mobile Home In Chantilly As Flames Tower Into Sky
Watch: Massive Fire Destroys Mobile Home In Chantilly As Flames Tower Into Sky A mobile home was destroyed in a fast-moving fire that lit up the night sky in Virginia, forcing firefighters to act quickly to keep flames from spreading to nearby homes. The fire broke out just after 1 a.m. on Friday, April 24, in the 14500 block of Trans World Avenue in Chantilly, drawing a rapid response from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews. Units arrived to find the mobile home fully involved in flames, with fire already consuming the structure, according to officials. #FairfaxsBravest are on scene of a mobile home fire in 14500 blk of Trans World Ave in Chantilly. Just after …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
9th Street Tunnel Still Closed Day After Metro Bus Fire As Crews Clear Heavy Damage (PHOTOS) 9th Street Tunnel Still Closed Day After Metro Bus Fire As Crews Clear Heavy Damage (PHOTOS) 9th Street Tunnel Still Closed Day After Metro Bus Fire As Crews Clear Heavy Damage (PHOTOS)
9th Street Tunnel Still Closed Day After Metro Bus Fire As Crews Clear Heavy Damage (Photos) Nearly 24 hours after a Metrobus burst into flames underground, a major DC tunnel remains shut down as crews work to clear debris, assess damage, and restore the roadway. The 9th Street tunnel remained closed as of late Friday morning following the dramatic bus fire that filled the area with thick smoke the night before. We are working closely with the manufacturer and our bus team is developing plans to mitigate any impacts to bus service as a result of us taking this proactive measure. Safety is our core value, and we appreciate our partners who responded to scene. — Metro Forward (@wm…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
WATCH: Metro Bus Engulfed In Flames In DC Tunnel As Thick Smoke Pours Into Sky (DEVELOPING) WATCH: Metro Bus Engulfed In Flames In DC Tunnel As Thick Smoke Pours Into Sky (DEVELOPING) WATCH: Metro Bus Engulfed In Flames In DC Tunnel As Thick Smoke Pours Into Sky (DEVELOPING)
Watch: Metro Bus Engulfed In Flames In DC Tunnel As Thick Smoke Pours Into Sky (Developing) A Metrobus caught fire inside a downtown DC tunnel Thursday evening, quickly becoming “well involved” as crews worked to evacuate drivers and fight flames in a smoke-filled roadway. The fire broke out around 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, inside the 9th Street tunnel, where thick black smoke began pouring into the air as emergency crews rushed to the scene. DC Fire and EMS said the bus was “well involved” as firefighters worked to establish a strategy to attack the flames and confirm that everyone inside the tunnel had been evacuated. Update bus fire 9th St tunnel. Bus well involved. …

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Fugitive Who Fled To Caribbean For 12 Years After Shooting Extradited To US Maryland Fugitive Who Fled To Caribbean For 12 Years After Shooting Extradited To US Maryland Fugitive Who Fled To Caribbean For 12 Years After Shooting Extradited To US
Maryland Fugitive Who Fled To Caribbean For 12 Years After Shooting Extradited To US Kervon Noel made it nearly 12 years on the run after helping orchestrate a Maryland robbery that ended with two elderly residents shot in Montgomery County. Now, he's back after spending more than a decade in Trinidad and Tobago. Federal authorities say Noel played a key role in a pair of armed robberies that escalated into gunfire inside a Gaithersburg business in 2014. Police say Noel wasn’t just another suspect — he worked there. Investigators determined Noel, an employee at Sweeney Building Services, helped plan the August 2014 robbery by sharing inside knowledge about how the busines…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
‘Master Of Mutilation’ Folds Day 1 Of Trial, Pleads Guilty In Maryland Fraud Case: DOJ ‘Master Of Mutilation’ Folds Day 1 Of Trial, Pleads Guilty In Maryland Fraud Case: DOJ ‘Master Of Mutilation’ Folds Day 1 Of Trial, Pleads Guilty In Maryland Fraud Case: DOJ
‘Master Of Mutilation’ Folds Day 1 Of Trial, Pleads Guilty In Maryland Fraud Case: DOJ A Maryland man accused of funding brutal mutilations overseas didn’t even make it past day one of trial in a separate case, pleading guilty to fraud charges instead of fighting them in court, federal prosecutors announced. The collapse came in Maryland, where Eric Tano Tataw — the Gaithersburg man previously dubbed the “Master of Mutilation” — abruptly changed course and admitted to bank fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Tataw had initially chosen to fight the charges tied to fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans. That didn’t last long. On the first day of trial, he folded immediat…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Man Deported Three Times Caught With Child Porn, Released, Arrested Again In Fairfax: ICE Man Deported Three Times Caught With Child Porn, Released, Arrested Again In Fairfax: ICE Man Deported Three Times Caught With Child Porn, Released, Arrested Again In Fairfax: ICE
Man Deported Three Times Caught With Child Porn, Released, Arrested Again In Fairfax: ICE A man previously deported three times and charged with multiple child pornography offenses was released from jail in Virginia — only to be arrested again months later by federal agents, officials say. The case played out in Fairfax County, where officials say local authorities released a man facing serious child exploitation charges despite a federal request to keep him in custody. Roni Mendez-Escobar, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was taken into custody again on Wednesday, April 22, following a court appearance in Fairfax, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Federal a…

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Teen Shouts Racial Slurs At Police After Dirt Bike Chaos In Busy Bethesda Community: Police Teen Shouts Racial Slurs At Police After Dirt Bike Chaos In Busy Bethesda Community: Police Teen Shouts Racial Slurs At Police After Dirt Bike Chaos In Busy Bethesda Community: Police
Teen Shouts Racial Slurs At Police After Dirt Bike Chaos In Busy Bethesda Community: Police A 13-year-old began shouting racist epithets at officers arresting him in Maryland after he and a group of minors on e-bikes and dirt bikes caused chaos in a busy community. An alert was issued by the Montgomery County Department of Police on Thursday, April 23, after receiving multiple calls regarding a group of teens speeding on roads and sidewalks while ignoring traffic laws. Police say the teens have been running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road, and occasionally blocking traffic in an effort to bait officers to chase them during attempted stops. The teen dirt …

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by Zak Failla
Nottingham-Perry Hall, MD
Breaking News
Ex-Baltimore County Dentist High On Oxy Bought Pills From Assistant Who Got Them From Mom: AG Ex-Baltimore County Dentist High On Oxy Bought Pills From Assistant Who Got Them From Mom: AG Ex-Baltimore County Dentist High On Oxy Bought Pills From Assistant Who Got Them From Mom: AG
Ex-Baltimore County Dentist High On Oxy Bought Pills From Assistant Who Got Them From Mom: AG A Maryland dentist allegedly practiced high on oxycodone supplied by his own dental assistant, who got the pills from her mother as part of an elaborate scheme, prosecutors announced. In Baltimore County, authorities say a Perry Hall dental office was at the center of a small drug pipeline that stretched from a family home to the exam room. Investigators say Dr. Andrew T. Fried was treating patients at his Perry Hall Family Dental clinic while under the influence of opioids. According to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, the drugs weren’t coming from the street. They were coming fro…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Virginia First In US To Ban Taking Baby Monkeys, Giraffes From Moms After Zoo Scandal Virginia First In US To Ban Taking Baby Monkeys, Giraffes From Moms After Zoo Scandal Virginia First In US To Ban Taking Baby Monkeys, Giraffes From Moms After Zoo Scandal
Virginia First In US To Ban Taking Baby Monkeys, Giraffes From Moms After Zoo Scandal A 3-day-old monkey was shipped away. Baby giraffes were sent across the country. Now, Virginia lawmakers are stepping in to make sure it doesn't happen again. Virginia became the first state in the US to pass a law protecting captive exotic animal families, PETA announced on Thursday, April 23. The new law bans separating captive-born exotic mammals from their mothers before four months and prohibits breeding different wild species together, known as hybridization, according to the organization. The legislation follows disturbing findings tied to the Natural Bridge Zoo. Investigators fou…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Stafford Teen Targeted After Suspect Hides In Bushes, Then Attacks With Knife: Sheriff Stafford Teen Targeted After Suspect Hides In Bushes, Then Attacks With Knife: Sheriff Stafford Teen Targeted After Suspect Hides In Bushes, Then Attacks With Knife: Sheriff
Stafford Teen Targeted After Suspect Hides In Bushes, Then Attacks With Knife: Sheriff A juvenile suspect was caught hiding in bushes before chasing down another teen and robbing them at knifepoint in Northern Virginia, authorities said. The robbery was reported shortly after 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, in the area of Saint Roberts Drive, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. The victim, also a minor, told deputies they had prior issues with the stabbing suspect and spotted them lurking in the bushes while walking with a group. Moments later, the suspect ran after the victim and carried out the robbery using a knife. The victim was able to escape unscathed. …

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by Zak Failla
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