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

Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Long Island Woman With Alzheimer’s Found Safe In Montgomery County After Driving 24 Hours Long Island Woman With Alzheimer’s Found Safe In Montgomery County After Driving 24 Hours Long Island Woman With Alzheimer’s Found Safe In Montgomery County After Driving 24 Hours
Long Island Woman With Alzheimer’s Found Safe In Montgomery County After Driving 24 Hours A missing Long Island woman who was the subject of a Silver Alert was found hundreds of miles from home in Maryland. Southold resident Judith Woodard, who has Alzheimer's/dementia, was tracked to Montgomery County by the Southold Town Police Department in Suffolk County early on Sunday, March 29, officials said. With an assist from automated license plate reader (LPR) technology, Woodard was ultimately located after driving for nearly 24 hours through New York, New Jersey, and then Maryland before the BOLO was issued. Officers in Montgomery County found Woodard safe and unharmed in her veh…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Elderly Man Who Targeted Dog-Walking Teen Arrested After 2-Week Search In Manassas, Police Say Elderly Man Who Targeted Dog-Walking Teen Arrested After 2-Week Search In Manassas, Police Say Elderly Man Who Targeted Dog-Walking Teen Arrested After 2-Week Search In Manassas, Police Say
Elderly Man Who Targeted Dog-Walking Teen Arrested After 2-Week Search In Manassas, Police Say A 71-year-old man who targeted a teen girl walking her dog near the Bull Run Swim and Racquet Club in Virginia has been arrested, police say. Mohammad Faqir Zada was arrested and charged two weeks after the Prince William County Police Department launched an investigation into a reported assault involving his 18-year-old victim. Officers were called around 3 p.m. on Friday, March 15, to the club in the 8100 block of Seymour Road in Manassas.  There, a woman reported that she was on a walking path with her dog when a stranger approached her from a nearby bench. The man attempted to ha…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Obituaries
Community Mourns Loss Of Virginia 15-Year-Old Noah Cheeseman Killed In Crossfire Of Shooting Community Mourns Loss Of Virginia 15-Year-Old Noah Cheeseman Killed In Crossfire Of Shooting Community Mourns Loss Of Virginia 15-Year-Old Noah Cheeseman Killed In Crossfire Of Shooting
Community Mourns Loss Of Virginia 15-Year-Old Noah Cheeseman Killed In Crossfire Of Shooting Noah Cheeseman will forever be 15. The teen killed in the crossfire of a hail of bullets in Virginia is being remembered as a "smart, funny, athletic, and great person to be around" after his unexpected death. Officers from the James City County Police Department were dispatched around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, following reports of gunshots in the area. Upon arrival, they found a 15-year-old victim, later identified as Cheeseman, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Three teens have since been charged with his murder…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Police Swarm Scene Of Officer-Involved Shooting, Investigation Underway (DEVELOPING) Baltimore Police Swarm Scene Of Officer-Involved Shooting, Investigation Underway (DEVELOPING) Baltimore Police Swarm Scene Of Officer-Involved Shooting, Investigation Underway (DEVELOPING)
Baltimore Police Swarm Scene Of Officer-Involved Shooting, Investigation Underway (Developing) An officer-involved shooting is under investigation in Maryland as police flooded a busy area in Baltimore's Western District on Thursday afternoon, officials confirm. The shooting was reported after noon on April 2 in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, prompting a massive police presence in the area as detectives investigated. Police Commissioner Richard Worley and the department’s public information officer responded directly to the scene as investigators began working to piece together what happened. We are aware of the police involved shooting in the WD. President Mancuso and ou…

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Double Trouble: Bel Air Twins, 11, Caught Breaking Into Cars, No Charges Filed — Again Double Trouble: Bel Air Twins, 11, Caught Breaking Into Cars, No Charges Filed — Again Double Trouble: Bel Air Twins, 11, Caught Breaking Into Cars, No Charges Filed — Again
Double Trouble: Bel Air Twins, 11, Caught Breaking Into Cars, No Charges Filed — Again Young twins were caught in the act trying to steal cars in Maryland — but walked away without charges, leaving damaged vehicles and frustrated victims behind. Deputies from the Harford County Sheriff's Office were called to an apartment complex in Bel Air this week following multiple reports of two people attempting to break into vehicles. Officials said that arriving deputies found two 11 year olds who matched the description of the suspects provided by witnesses, and they quickly copped to the crimes. According to the sheriff's office, the twins admitted to being in the area to "steal a …

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
Teen With Glock Arrested After Shots Fired Shut Down Myrtle Point Park (UPDATED) Teen With Glock Arrested After Shots Fired Shut Down Myrtle Point Park (UPDATED) Teen With Glock Arrested After Shots Fired Shut Down Myrtle Point Park (UPDATED)
Teen With Glock Arrested After Shots Fired Shut Down Myrtle Point Park (Updated) A teenager was taken into custody on Thursday following a shooting that led to the closure of a popular park.  Myrtle Point Park is closed on Thursday in Southern Maryland as the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office investigates reports of shots fired. Shortly before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, deputies were called to the park in California after multiple 911 calls reported gunfire in the area. While securing the scene and interviewing witnesses, deputies came into contact with a juvenile who was in possession of a Glock 23 .40-caliber handgun.  He was taken into custody without incident.…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Strangled, Then Torched In DC Apartment: Second Suspect Charged In Brutal Killing Strangled, Then Torched In DC Apartment: Second Suspect Charged In Brutal Killing Strangled, Then Torched In DC Apartment: Second Suspect Charged In Brutal Killing
Strangled, Then Torched In DC Apartment: Second Suspect Charged In Brutal Killing A man was strangled to death inside his DC apartment — and then someone tried to burn the scene — in a chilling homicide that has now led to a second arrest. The killing happened shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Northwest DC, when DC Fire and EMS crews were called to the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue for reports of smoke in a hallway. Firefighters entered the apartment, knocked down a small fire, and found 40-year-old Syed Hammad Hussain unconscious, not breathing, and suffering from blunt force trauma and thermal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investi…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Gunman On The Run After Deadly Dispute Leaves 19-Year-Old Dead In White Plains: Sheriff Gunman On The Run After Deadly Dispute Leaves 19-Year-Old Dead In White Plains: Sheriff Gunman On The Run After Deadly Dispute Leaves 19-Year-Old Dead In White Plains: Sheriff
Gunman On The Run After Deadly Dispute Leaves 19-Year-Old Dead In White Plains: Sheriff A 19-year-old is dead, and a gunman is at large after a dispute in Southern Maryland turned violent, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. White Plains resident Tyon Makai Bias has been identified as the teen who was shot and killed during an argument that turned deadly early on Wednesday morning. Officers were called shortly before 3 a.m. on April 1 to the area of Enid Blyton Place in White Plains, where there were reports of gunshots in the area. Investigators say a group of people got into a dispute, during which multiple gunshots were fired and Bias was struck. He was rush…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Gunfire Erupts Inside Busy Germantown Grocery Store As Teens Open Fire WATCH: Gunfire Erupts Inside Busy Germantown Grocery Store As Teens Open Fire WATCH: Gunfire Erupts Inside Busy Germantown Grocery Store As Teens Open Fire
Watch: Gunfire Erupts Inside Busy Germantown Grocery Store As Teens Open Fire A pair of brazen teen gunmen who opened fire inside a busy Maryland grocery store will both be charged as adults after a man was shot, police say. Germantown resident Marcus Isaiah Jovon Braithwaite, 19, and 16-year-old Montgomery Village native Demba Tandia are both charged with the attempted murder of a man in a Giant Food store. Braithwaite and Tandia entered the store on Leaman Farm Road in Germantown at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Friday, March 20, seconds before the victim walked in. Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a shooting inside of a Germantown grocery …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Who Is Reid Wiseman? Meet The Dulaney High School Grad Leading NASA Back To The Moon Who Is Reid Wiseman? Meet The Dulaney High School Grad Leading NASA Back To The Moon Who Is Reid Wiseman? Meet The Dulaney High School Grad Leading NASA Back To The Moon
Who Is Reid Wiseman? Meet The Dulaney High School Grad Leading NASA Back To The Moon One of Maryland's own is going "to infinity and beyond" as he prepares to command NASA's Artemis II on the first manned mission around the moon in 50 years. Baltimore native Gregory Reid Wiseman will make history after being chosen nearly two years ago to helm the flight into space.  Officials say the mission of the flight is part of NASA’s path to "establishing a long-term presence at the moon for science and exploration.” The crew includes Wiseman, a 27-year Navy veteran, engineer, and Baltimore native; Victor Glover, who was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a…

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by Zak Failla
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