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

Towson, MD
Breaking News
BWI Chaos Worsens: Travelers Told To Arrive 4 Hours Early As TSA Lines Spill Out The Door BWI Chaos Worsens: Travelers Told To Arrive 4 Hours Early As TSA Lines Spill Out The Door BWI Chaos Worsens: Travelers Told To Arrive 4 Hours Early As TSA Lines Spill Out The Door
BWI Chaos Worsens: Travelers Told To Arrive 4 Hours Early As TSA Lines Spill Out The Door If you thought things were bad at BWI earlier this week, they’ve now taken a turn for the worse — and travelers are paying the price as TSA disruptions continue to play out.  Passengers at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are now being told to arrive four hours early for their flights, BWI officials cautioned on Saturday morning. If you are traveling today or tomorrow, please arrive to the airport 4 hours early.We have not previously experienced checkpoint wait times similar to what we are seeing this morning.Travelers most impacted are those departing fr…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
Ambulance Carrying Patient Crashes In Rockville, Multiple Injured, Roads Blocked (DEVELOPING) Ambulance Carrying Patient Crashes In Rockville, Multiple Injured, Roads Blocked (DEVELOPING) Ambulance Carrying Patient Crashes In Rockville, Multiple Injured, Roads Blocked (DEVELOPING)
Ambulance Carrying Patient Crashes In Rockville, Multiple Injured, Roads Blocked (Developing) A crash involving an ambulance transporting a patient shut down part of a busy Maryland roadway late Saturday morning. The collision happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. on March 28 at the intersection of Frederick Road and East Gude Drive in Rockville, officials said. Emergency crews from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were already transporting a patient to the hospital when ambulance A703C became involved in a crash at the intersection, authorities reported. Frederick Rd & E Gude Dr, collision, @mcfrs on scene, @mcfrs A703C involved in collision while transporting to hospi…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Three Spotsy High School Seniors Killed In Mercedes Crash Weeks Before Graduation: Sheriff Three Spotsy High School Seniors Killed In Mercedes Crash Weeks Before Graduation: Sheriff Three Spotsy High School Seniors Killed In Mercedes Crash Weeks Before Graduation: Sheriff
Three Spotsy High School Seniors Killed In Mercedes Crash Weeks Before Graduation: Sheriff Three high school students in Virginia were killed in a single-vehicle Mercedes crash when a driver lost control and slammed into a tree.  Shortly before midnight on Friday, March 27, deputies from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office and paramedics were called to investigate a crash in the 5300 block of Lewiston Road. Upon arrival, deputies located a single vehicle involved in the crash. The teens, ages 18, 17, and 17, were pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. All three were seniors set to graduate from Spotsylvania High School at the end of the academic year. …

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by Zak Failla
Columbia, MD
Breaking News
Columbia Toddler’s Death Sparks Murder Charges Against Mother, BF After Year-Long Probe: Police Columbia Toddler’s Death Sparks Murder Charges Against Mother, BF After Year-Long Probe: Police Columbia Toddler’s Death Sparks Murder Charges Against Mother, BF After Year-Long Probe: Police
Columbia Toddler’s Death Sparks Murder Charges Against Mother, BF After Year-Long Probe: Police A year-long investigation into the death of a Maryland 3-year-old led to the arrests of the child's mother and boyfriend in Pennsylvania, authorities announced. Columbia resident Kathleen Amesbury and Hanover, Pennsylvania native Dale Brown, Jr., have been charged one year after the toddler had to be rushed to the hospital. According to the Howard County Police Department, emergency calls were made by hospital staff on March 26, 2025, when the 3-year-old was taken to the hospital by paramedics from a home in the 7200 block of Procopio Circle with critical injuries. The child was pronounced…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Flights Grounded Across Maryland, DC, Virginia As FAA Issues Sudden Airport Stops Flights Grounded Across Maryland, DC, Virginia As FAA Issues Sudden Airport Stops Flights Grounded Across Maryland, DC, Virginia As FAA Issues Sudden Airport Stops
Flights Grounded Across Maryland, DC, Virginia As FAA Issues Sudden Airport Stops A sudden ground stop has halted flights across the Maryland, DC, and Virginia region, impacting three of the busiest airports in the area during the evening rush. The disruption is hitting the DC region hard, with Reagan National, Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International all placed under ground stops on Thursday evening. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the stops between approximately 6:30 p.m. and 6:40 p.m., with all three currently set to remain in effect until at least 8 p.m. That means departures headed to those airports are not taking off. Flights bound …

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Sex Offender Blows Probation, Lands Back In Court After New Crimes In Frederick County Sex Offender Blows Probation, Lands Back In Court After New Crimes In Frederick County Sex Offender Blows Probation, Lands Back In Court After New Crimes In Frederick County
Sex Offender Blows Probation, Lands Back In Court After New Crimes In Frederick County A convicted sex offender in Maryland will spend the next 16 years behind bars after violating probation with new child abuse material convictions. Eric William Diaz, 48, of Middletown, was sentenced in Frederick County Circuit Court on Friday, March 27, after a judge imposed the full backup time tied to his earlier offenses. The case played out in Frederick, where Diaz had already been on probation for crimes involving a minor when authorities learned he reoffended. His latest violation stemmed from convictions in Pennsylvania for possession of child sex abuse material, triggering the prob…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
Germantown Man Who Opened Fire On Officer Struck In Shootout, Hospitalized, Arrested: Police Germantown Man Who Opened Fire On Officer Struck In Shootout, Hospitalized, Arrested: Police Germantown Man Who Opened Fire On Officer Struck In Shootout, Hospitalized, Arrested: Police
Germantown Man Who Opened Fire On Officer Struck In Shootout, Hospitalized, Arrested: Police A Maryland man who fired shots at a police officer during a wild pursuit is behind bars, officials confirmed. Germantown native Andre Duvall is facing charges after a shootout ended with him suffering a gunshot wound and being arrested for attempted murder, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, officers were patrolling the area of Contour Road in Montgomery Village following community complaints of criminal activity including aggravated assaults, robberies, thefts, drug activity, disorderly conduct, and other public nuisance cri…

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Driver Shot, Killed By Officers In PG County After Reentering Car During Traffic Stop: Police Driver Shot, Killed By Officers In PG County After Reentering Car During Traffic Stop: Police Driver Shot, Killed By Officers In PG County After Reentering Car During Traffic Stop: Police
Driver Shot, Killed By Officers In PG County After Reentering Car During Traffic Stop: Police A driver was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Maryland after reentering a vehicle while an officer was inside, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The shooting happened in Prince George’s County, where the Independent Investigations Division is now reviewing the fatal encounter involving officers in Chillum on Thursday night. Authorities say the incident unfolded around 8:40 p.m. on March 26 near 23rd Avenue and East-West Highway. An officer with the Prince George’s County Police Department initially stopped a vehicle and called for backup, bringing a second officer to the …

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Repeat Encounter: Police Seek Scooter Rider In Woodbridge Sexual Assault Investigation Repeat Encounter: Police Seek Scooter Rider In Woodbridge Sexual Assault Investigation Repeat Encounter: Police Seek Scooter Rider In Woodbridge Sexual Assault Investigation
Repeat Encounter: Police Seek Scooter Rider In Woodbridge Sexual Assault Investigation A 26-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a scooter rider in Virginia — and now newly released images may help police track him down. In Woodbridge, detectives with the Prince William County Police Department are now sharing surveillance photos as they continue searching for the man they believe targeted the same victim more than once. Police say the latest incident happened around 6:50 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, near River Ridge Boulevard and Powells Creek Boulevard. A jogger was approached by a stranger riding a black electric scooter in the area, where investigators say the encount…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
He Dreamed Of Driving To California—Now He’ll Die In Prison After Killing Virginia Grandmother He Dreamed Of Driving To California—Now He’ll Die In Prison After Killing Virginia Grandmother He Dreamed Of Driving To California—Now He’ll Die In Prison After Killing Virginia Grandmother
He Dreamed Of Driving To California—Now He’ll Die In Prison After Killing Virginia Grandmother A carjacker with grand ambitions of living life on the West Coast will instead spend his remaining days behind bars after killing a new grandmother in cold blood. Jose Ulises Aguilar-Martinez, 23, has been sentenced to two life sentences, plus 13 years, for the killing of Melody Waldecker in 2024.  According to court documents, shortly before noon on July 28, 2024, Aguilar-Martinez was loitering outside a busy convenience store along Route 7 in Sterling with the intent of stealing a car so he could drive to California. His plan took an unfortunate turn from there. Prosecutors sa…

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by Zak Failla
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