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

Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Retired Investigator Helps Catch Serial Groper Targeting Women On Fredericksburg Trail: Police Retired Investigator Helps Catch Serial Groper Targeting Women On Fredericksburg Trail: Police Retired Investigator Helps Catch Serial Groper Targeting Women On Fredericksburg Trail: Police
Retired Investigator Helps Catch Serial Groper Targeting Women On Fredericksburg Trail: Police A retired Northern Virginia investigator proved to be key in tracking down a serial groper who repeatedly groped women on a busy Fredericksburg trail. Hien Dinh, 23, was arrested following a probe into a series of sexual assaults that were reported along the Canal Path and Heritage Trail in March, authorities announced. The big bust is being attributed to tips from the community — including a former investigator who has not lost his touch.  On Thursday, March 19, the Fredericksburg Police Department received a report of sexual battery that occurred along the Canal Path, with additiona…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
No Charges After Naked Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed While Charging Officer In Maryland: AG No Charges After Naked Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed While Charging Officer In Maryland: AG No Charges After Naked Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed While Charging Officer In Maryland: AG
No Charges After Naked Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed While Charging Officer In Maryland: AG A chaotic scene involving a naked man chasing people with a knife ended in a fatal police shooting in Maryland — and now, months later, the Attorney General says no charges will be filed. Ryan Garcy was naked and unafraid in September last year, when a bizarre encounter unfolded involving the Cambridge Police Department. Late in the afternoon on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, officers were called to Deep Harbour Estates, where there were reports of a naked and suicidal man chasing people around with a knife. The 30-year-old was ordered repeatedly to drop the knife, but Garcy continued advancing,…

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by Zak Failla
Finksburg, MD
Obituaries
‘Always Had Us Laughing’: Community Mourns 19-Year-Old As Finksburg Neighbors Step Up ‘Always Had Us Laughing’: Community Mourns 19-Year-Old As Finksburg Neighbors Step Up ‘Always Had Us Laughing’: Community Mourns 19-Year-Old As Finksburg Neighbors Step Up
‘Always Had Us Laughing’: Community Mourns 19-Year-Old As Finksburg Neighbors Step Up The loss of a 19-year-old Maryland man is being felt across friend groups, ballfields, and family circles that knew him best. Finksburg resident Nathan Brandon Lapp died on Thursday, March 26, leaving behind a tight-knit family and a growing wave of community support. Lapp, a 2025 Westminster High School graduate, spent his time on the JV football and lacrosse teams, and before that, five years playing defensive end with Gamber Football. After graduation, he went to work as an HVAC technician — building a life the same way he lived it: hands-on and all in. Outside of work, he spent time f…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Not Cleared For Takeoff: 247 Pounds Of Weed Seized At BWI In London Flight Busts Not Cleared For Takeoff: 247 Pounds Of Weed Seized At BWI In London Flight Busts Not Cleared For Takeoff: 247 Pounds Of Weed Seized At BWI In London Flight Busts
Not Cleared For Takeoff: 247 Pounds Of Weed Seized At BWI In London Flight Busts More than 200 pounds of marijuana packed for flights to London were seized at BWI Airport in a series of busts that ended with travelers stopped at the gate and a K-9 sniffing out the stash, officials said. A wave of marijuana smuggling attempts out of Maryland was shut down at BWI Airport, where federal officers intercepted hundreds of pounds of weed headed overseas. US Customs and Border Protection officers seized a total of 247 pounds of marijuana in four separate incidents at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, officials announced Tuesday. CBP officers …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Fairfax County Father Charged In Infant Daughter’s Death After Abuse Signs Found, Police Say Fairfax County Father Charged In Infant Daughter’s Death After Abuse Signs Found, Police Say Fairfax County Father Charged In Infant Daughter’s Death After Abuse Signs Found, Police Say
Fairfax County Father Charged In Infant Daughter’s Death After Abuse Signs Found, Police Say A 28-year-old father has been arrested in connection with the death of his infant daughter in Virginia. An investigation by the Fairfax County Police Department into the death of a 3-month-old in Bailey's Crossroads led to the apprehension of Misael Lopez Gomez for his alleged role in her death last week. Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27, officers were called to the 3400 block of Lake Street to investigate reports of an unresponsive girl. Upon arrival, officers determined the infant was not breathing and immediately began CPR until Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and…

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by Zak Failla
Lutherville-Timonium, MD
Obituaries
Maryland Woman, 40, Dies Mid-Flight After Being ‘Completely Fine’ On Trip For Master’s Program Maryland Woman, 40, Dies Mid-Flight After Being ‘Completely Fine’ On Trip For Master’s Program Maryland Woman, 40, Dies Mid-Flight After Being ‘Completely Fine’ On Trip For Master’s Program
Maryland Woman, 40, Dies Mid-Flight After Being ‘Completely Fine’ On Trip For Master’s Program Adunni Lademo was still chasing her American Dream when she suffered a heart attack and died thousands of miles away from her Maryland home. She was 40. On Sunday, March 22, loved ones say Lademo traveled to India as part of her master's program, but on her flight back, she suffered a sudden heart attack. Lademo's family said that during the second leg of her return flight, she went to the restroom, and shortly after coming out, collapsed from cardiac arrest. There were four doctors and one medical student on board who immediately came to her aid and did everything they could, providing e…

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by Zak Failla
Montgomery Village, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Dramatic Montgomery Village Bodycam Shows Suspect Firing At Police Before Being Shot WATCH: Dramatic Montgomery Village Bodycam Shows Suspect Firing At Police Before Being Shot WATCH: Dramatic Montgomery Village Bodycam Shows Suspect Firing At Police Before Being Shot
Watch: Dramatic Montgomery Village Bodycam Shows Suspect Firing At Police Before Being Shot Newly released bodycam footage shows the minutes leading up to a police-involved shooting that left a man hospitalized in Maryland. The Montgomery County Department of Police released body-worn video of the shooting that left 27-year-old Germantown resident Andre Duvall with a gunshot wound. Officers on routine patrol shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, were in the area of Off Price Center on Contour Road in Montgomery Village following multiple community complaints about criminal activity in the area, including robberies, drug sales, and assaults. The suspect attempted…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
This Arlington Neighborhood Ranks Among The Top Places To Live In The US: New Report This Arlington Neighborhood Ranks Among The Top Places To Live In The US: New Report This Arlington Neighborhood Ranks Among The Top Places To Live In The US: New Report
This Arlington Neighborhood Ranks Among The Top Places To Live In The US: New Report Some Virginia locales are among the "best places to live" in the country, according to a newly released Niche ranking. Citing its host of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks, Colonial Village in Arlington was ranked the second-best place to live in America, easily the highest in the state. Further south, Innsbrook, a suburb in Richmond, slotted in at 11th on the list  The Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood slotted in at 14th, with Niche highlighting its highly rated schools and population of young professionals. Columbia Heights and Ballston/Virginia Square, other neig…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Peeping Tom Caught With Pants Down Outside Child’s Window By Parent In Waldorf, Sheriff Says Peeping Tom Caught With Pants Down Outside Child’s Window By Parent In Waldorf, Sheriff Says Peeping Tom Caught With Pants Down Outside Child’s Window By Parent In Waldorf, Sheriff Says
Peeping Tom Caught With Pants Down Outside Child’s Window By Parent In Waldorf, Sheriff Says A Peeping Tom was caught with his pants down peering into a child's window in Maryland after being spotted red-handed by a parent. Waldorf resident Phillip Keyes, 63, is behind bars after an incident that was reported late on Monday night, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Shortly before 10 p.m. on March 30, officers were called to the 4000 block of Night Heron Court in Waldorf to investigate reports of a person looking into a window. Investigators say that a homeowner spotted a flashlight outside his child's bedroom window. When he went to investigate, he saw a man kneelin…

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by Zak Failla
La Plata, MD
Breaking News
Quadruple Amputee Dayton Webber Returned To Charles County In Bradrick Wells Murder Case Quadruple Amputee Dayton Webber Returned To Charles County In Bradrick Wells Murder Case Quadruple Amputee Dayton Webber Returned To Charles County In Bradrick Wells Murder Case
Quadruple Amputee Dayton Webber Returned To Charles County In Bradrick Wells Murder Case The quadruple amputee who allegedly murdered 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells before dumping his body in La Plata and fleeing to Virginia is back in Maryland. Specific arrangements are being made at the Charles County Detention Center for professional cornhole player Dayton Webber, 27, who was extradited to face charges for the killing of Wells during an argument. The Waldorf native was transported to the detention center on Tuesday, March 31, and booked, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. "Due to Webber’s specific medical and mobility needs, appropriate accommodation…

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by Zak Failla
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