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
International Car Theft Ring Moving Vehicles From DC To Africa Busted By Feds: DOJ International Car Theft Ring Moving Vehicles From DC To Africa Busted By Feds: DOJ International Car Theft Ring Moving Vehicles From DC To Africa Busted By Feds: DOJ
International Car Theft Ring Moving Vehicles From DC To Africa Busted By Feds: DOJ An international car theft ring that operated from the DC area to as far as Africa has been broken up, and six people are facing charges, federal authorities announced. A 15-count indictment was unsealed in US District Court on Wednesday, April 22, charging several people for their roles in a conspiracy to steal nearly two dozen cars in the region and sell them out of state and in Ghana. It is alleged that the operators of the car theft ring are connected to the theft of more than 100 vehicles in the District of Columbia and more than 30 vehicles in Prince George’s County. Those charged:&n…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Amber Alert Ends, Toddler Found Safe, Suspect Arrested After DC Alley Killing (UPDATED) Amber Alert Ends, Toddler Found Safe, Suspect Arrested After DC Alley Killing (UPDATED) Amber Alert Ends, Toddler Found Safe, Suspect Arrested After DC Alley Killing (UPDATED)
Amber Alert Ends, Toddler Found Safe, Suspect Arrested After DC Alley Killing (Updated) The 2-year-old reported missing after his mother was shot and killed in a DC alley has been found safe, and a suspect is now under arrest. Hours after the deadly shooting sparked an urgent search, the Metropolitan Police Department provided an update. On Wednesday, April 22, police announced that the AMBER Alert issued for 2-year-old Royce Hawkins was canceled after the child was located unharmed inside a residence near the scene of the shooting. The suspect has since been taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder. Authorities have not yet released the suspect’s identi…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Undocumented Pair With ICE Detainers, No Fixed Address Linked To Ashburn Jewelry Store Theft Undocumented Pair With ICE Detainers, No Fixed Address Linked To Ashburn Jewelry Store Theft Undocumented Pair With ICE Detainers, No Fixed Address Linked To Ashburn Jewelry Store Theft
Undocumented Pair With ICE Detainers, No Fixed Address Linked To Ashburn Jewelry Store Theft A pair of undocumented immigrants from Romania who have no fixed address have been charged in connection with an alleged jewelry store heist in Northern Virginia. Denisa Ghiocel, 31, and Dorel Ghiocel, 35, are behind bars following an attempted robbery on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. For weeks, victims across Northern Virginia were being approached, distracted, and left without their jewelry. Investigators say the pair used distraction techniques to target victims and remove jewelry, a pattern that had been building across the region. The break came…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Mother Recovering After Losing Two Young Children As Neighbors Step Up For Family Virginia Mother Recovering After Losing Two Young Children As Neighbors Step Up For Family Virginia Mother Recovering After Losing Two Young Children As Neighbors Step Up For Family
Virginia Mother Recovering After Losing Two Young Children As Neighbors Step Up For Family A Virginia mother is recovering physically after a shooting that claimed the lives of her two teen children, leaving her to face overwhelming emotional and mental trauma. Zion Terry, 18, had a “radiant smile and a beautiful soul that could brighten anyone’s day,” friends said, remembering a young man who dreamed of becoming a traveling nurse. His sister, Sadie, was just 14. Both were killed in the same act of violence that left their mother, Tiffany Terry, seriously injured and now facing a long road to recovery. In the hours and days since, grief has poured out across the community — fro…

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by Zak Failla
Columbia, MD
Breaking News
Viral Columbia Gas Station Shooting Video Leads To Arrest Hundreds Of Miles Away In New York Viral Columbia Gas Station Shooting Video Leads To Arrest Hundreds Of Miles Away In New York Viral Columbia Gas Station Shooting Video Leads To Arrest Hundreds Of Miles Away In New York
Viral Columbia Gas Station Shooting Video Leads To Arrest Hundreds Of Miles Away In New York The case that exploded online this week has taken a major turn. Now, it's just a matter of whether Shantay Lashay O'Donnell will face charges in Virginia or Maryland first after being arrested in upstate New York. The 46-year-old Virginia Beach resident, who went viral after a video of her shooting at a gas station clerk in Howard County, went viral. Howard County Police Shortly before 7:45 p.m. on Friday, April 17, officers were called to the Shell gas station in the 7200 block of Cradlerock Way in Columbia to investigate a reported shooting involving an armed woman. In the video…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Your Community
Detectives Expand Probe Into Locker Room Video Recorded At Walter Johnson High School (UPDATED) Detectives Expand Probe Into Locker Room Video Recorded At Walter Johnson High School (UPDATED) Detectives Expand Probe Into Locker Room Video Recorded At Walter Johnson High School (UPDATED)
Detectives Expand Probe Into Locker Room Video Recorded At Walter Johnson High School (Updated) New details have been released by the Montgomery County Department of Police after an illicit video was recorded during a play at Walter Johnson High School. James Mulhern III, 43, a media services technician at the school, was arrested following a weeklong investigation that led to unsettling discoveries, according to police. On April 15, school officials notified police that on Tuesday, April 7, two students at Walter Johnson High School found a video camera in the control booth of the school’s theater.  Police say one of the students viewed the contents of the memory card and …

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by Zak Failla
Severna Park, MD
On Your Side
Food Truck Flips Onto Its Side In Severna Park Crash, Leaving Owner Alive But Out Of Business Food Truck Flips Onto Its Side In Severna Park Crash, Leaving Owner Alive But Out Of Business Food Truck Flips Onto Its Side In Severna Park Crash, Leaving Owner Alive But Out Of Business
Food Truck Flips Onto Its Side In Severna Park Crash, Leaving Owner Alive But Out Of Business A Maryland food truck owner walked away from a violent crash relatively unharmed — but the business he spent a decade building was wrecked. Eddy Tinnivlioglou was driving his mobile kitchen on Route 2 on a Sunday afternoon when he encountered a construction barrier left in the road from an earlier crash. He tried to change lanes. It was too late. With another vehicle blocking his path, Tinnivlioglou had no safe choice but to strike the barrier.  What he thought was going to be a minor crash ended with Tinnivlioglou's truck overturned onto the driver's side of the vehicle, l…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
Teen Charged As Adult After Bullets Rip Through Germantown Homes, Hit Child’s Bedroom: Police Teen Charged As Adult After Bullets Rip Through Germantown Homes, Hit Child’s Bedroom: Police Teen Charged As Adult After Bullets Rip Through Germantown Homes, Hit Child’s Bedroom: Police
Teen Charged As Adult After Bullets Rip Through Germantown Homes, Hit Child’s Bedroom: Police A 17-year-old in Maryland is facing adult charges months after an alleged early-morning shooting in which at least one bullet nearly struck a sleeping child, police say. Germantown resident Jaden Proctor was charged as an adult following a lengthy investigation into a dangerous November 2025 shooting. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, shortly after 4:45 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, officers were called to the 20500 block of Staffordshire Drive in Germantown to investigate reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers recovered several spent casings at the scene,…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Your Community
Trump Erupts Over Virginia Redistricting Vote, Claims ‘Rigged’ Election After Narrow Loss Trump Erupts Over Virginia Redistricting Vote, Claims ‘Rigged’ Election After Narrow Loss Trump Erupts Over Virginia Redistricting Vote, Claims ‘Rigged’ Election After Narrow Loss
Trump Erupts Over Virginia Redistricting Vote, Claims ‘Rigged’ Election After Narrow Loss President Donald Trump is claiming another election has been rigged. This time in Virginia. On Tuesday, voters in Virginia narrowly approved a redistricting referendum that heavily favors Democrats in the Commonwealth moving forward Earlier this year, Democrats proposed a new map with the intention of flipping four Republican-held House seats. That measure passed, potentially giving Democrats power over 10 of the state's 11 districts. Now, Trump is claiming the election was rigged, targeting mail-in votes. "All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the ver…

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by Zak Failla
Edgewater-Mayo, MD
Obituaries
Maryland Dad, Business Owner Scott Chait Dies Suddenly, Leaves Wife, Four Kids Maryland Dad, Business Owner Scott Chait Dies Suddenly, Leaves Wife, Four Kids Maryland Dad, Business Owner Scott Chait Dies Suddenly, Leaves Wife, Four Kids
Maryland Dad, Business Owner Scott Chait Dies Suddenly, Leaves Wife, Four Kids Scott Chait left behind more than just a business when he died unexpectedly — he left behind a wife, four kids, and a Maryland community helping to pick up the pieces. The owner of Sparks Electric, Chait was the breadwinner for his family before his death on Friday, April 17, according to organizers of a fundraiser set up for his wife and children in the days after his passing. “With the sudden passing of Scott Chait, we have created this GoFundMe page to help his family with expenses during this difficult time,” organizer Mary Beth Brubaker wrote. "Scott leaves behind a wife and four child…

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by Zak Failla
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