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
Hogtied, Beaten, Urinated On: DC Woman Hops To Safety After Hours Of Horror, Feds Say Hogtied, Beaten, Urinated On: DC Woman Hops To Safety After Hours Of Horror, Feds Say Hogtied, Beaten, Urinated On: DC Woman Hops To Safety After Hours Of Horror, Feds Say
Hogtied, Beaten, Urinated On: DC Woman Hops To Safety After Hours Of Horror, Feds Say A 51-year-old man who hogtied his partner in DC and urinated on her during a vicious assault in their apartment has been convicted on federal charges, authorities announced on Tuesday. Raymond Dodd was convicted by a Superior Court jury of multiple offenses stemming from a disturbing incident where he held his romantic partner captive in a Northeast DC home in March 2024. According to court documents, on March 5, 2024, Dodd and his girlfriend were inside an apartment in the 1300 block of H Street NE, when the two got into an argument.  During that altercation, Dodd slapped the woman i…

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by Zak Failla
Essex, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Knife Attack On Sister Ends With Man Shot 17 Times By Police In Essex, No Charges: AG Maryland Knife Attack On Sister Ends With Man Shot 17 Times By Police In Essex, No Charges: AG Maryland Knife Attack On Sister Ends With Man Shot 17 Times By Police In Essex, No Charges: AG
Maryland Knife Attack On Sister Ends With Man Shot 17 Times By Police In Essex, No Charges: AG The officers who shot and killed a man who stabbed his sister in Maryland will not face criminal charges, the state’s top prosecutor announced. The decision was announced in Baltimore this week after a months-long investigation into the Dec. 3, 2025 officer-involved shooting on Holgate Drive in Essex. Howard Sye, 31, of Essex, was shot and killed after officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing inside an apartment. Investigators say Sye’s sister told dispatchers he had stabbed her, prompting multiple officers to rush to the scene just after 8:30 p.m. When officers reac…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
Rockville Man Killed After BMW Flips, Tears Through Maryland Intersection In Violent Crash Rockville Man Killed After BMW Flips, Tears Through Maryland Intersection In Violent Crash Rockville Man Killed After BMW Flips, Tears Through Maryland Intersection In Violent Crash
Rockville Man Killed After BMW Flips, Tears Through Maryland Intersection In Violent Crash Two 24-year-old men were killed in a violent early morning crash in Maryland when a BMW lost control, flipped, and tore through an intersection before coming to rest in a trench. The crash was reported shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday, March 22, at the intersection of Norbeck Road and East Gude Drive in Gaithersburg. Abraham D. Huracaya Del Aguila, of Silver Spring, and Alexander J. Medrano Cangalaya, of Rockville, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the gray 2025 BMW M8 was heading eastbound when it suddenly lost control, entering a yaw and crossing the center median i…

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by Zak Failla
Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Drug Kingpin Ran International Fentanyl Pipeline From NJ Prison Cell, Feds Say Maryland Drug Kingpin Ran International Fentanyl Pipeline From NJ Prison Cell, Feds Say Maryland Drug Kingpin Ran International Fentanyl Pipeline From NJ Prison Cell, Feds Say
Maryland Drug Kingpin Ran International Fentanyl Pipeline From NJ Prison Cell, Feds Say A drug kingpin from Maryland who ran a massive international fentanyl pipeline from inside a New Jersey prison cell will spend more time behind bars for his latest offense. Samuel "Fats" Braxton, 57, was sentenced on Tuesday, March 24, to 162 months in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking organization in the DC area — all while he was being housed at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. Braxton, a career criminal, was described by prosecutors as "the top and unifying member of a drug trafficking conspiracy" involving at least eight people between July 2021 and November 2023. His opera…

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by Zak Failla
Montgomery Village, MD
Breaking News
Officer-Involved Shooting In Montgomery Village Sends Man To Hospital (DEVELOPING) Officer-Involved Shooting In Montgomery Village Sends Man To Hospital (DEVELOPING) Officer-Involved Shooting In Montgomery Village Sends Man To Hospital (DEVELOPING)
Officer-Involved Shooting In Montgomery Village Sends Man To Hospital (Developing) A man was shot by police during an incident in Maryland that sent him to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed. Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called shortly before 5 p.m. on March 24 to the 18400 block of Lost Knife Circle in Montgomery Village after reports of a shooting. Investigators say a man was shot during an encounter involving an officer.  The man was treated at the scene and listed in stable condition at an area hospital later on Tuesday afternoon. No additional details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting have b…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Rabid Cat Attacks Multiple People In Fairfax County, Prompting Alert From Health Officials Rabid Cat Attacks Multiple People In Fairfax County, Prompting Alert From Health Officials Rabid Cat Attacks Multiple People In Fairfax County, Prompting Alert From Health Officials
Rabid Cat Attacks Multiple People In Fairfax County, Prompting Alert From Health Officials A rabid cat attacked multiple people in Virginia — and health officials are now warning anyone who may have come into contact with it to act fast. The alert was issued in Fairfax County, where officials confirmed a cat with rabies in the Huntington area of Alexandria, between North Kings Highway and Fort Lyon Court. The attacks happened on the afternoon of March 19, when the cat bit and scratched several people in the area, officials said. Health officials caution the cat may have also come into contact with others — including pets — between March 5 and March 19. The animal has since been…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Gunmen Open Fire On US Park Police Officer In DC Ambush — Two Caught Within 24 Hours: MPD Gunmen Open Fire On US Park Police Officer In DC Ambush — Two Caught Within 24 Hours: MPD Gunmen Open Fire On US Park Police Officer In DC Ambush — Two Caught Within 24 Hours: MPD
Gunmen Open Fire On US Park Police Officer In DC Ambush — Two Caught Within 24 Hours: MPD Two people have been arrested in DC after a US Park Police officer was ambushed on Monday night, the Metropolitan Police Department announced. It took less than 24 hours for investigators to track down Darren Foster, 21, and Asheile Foster, 22, both from Southeast DC, for their alleged roles in the officer-involved shooting. According to police, at around 7:30 p.m. on March 23, a US Park Police officer was inside an unmarked vehicle in the 5000 block of Queens Stroll Place SE, while investigating an unrelated incident in the area. Chief Carroll joins U.S. Park Police Chief Brecht to pro…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Wild Spotsy Chase Ends In Yard Crash, Window Smash As Driver Refuses To Surrender: Sheriff Wild Spotsy Chase Ends In Yard Crash, Window Smash As Driver Refuses To Surrender: Sheriff Wild Spotsy Chase Ends In Yard Crash, Window Smash As Driver Refuses To Surrender: Sheriff
Wild Spotsy Chase Ends In Yard Crash, Window Smash As Driver Refuses To Surrender: Sheriff What began as a routine traffic stop of a black BMW in Virginia quickly turned into a high-speed chase, with a suspect fleeing deputies before crashing into a yard and refusing to come out. Kevin Maiden, 48, put members of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office through their paces on Monday night, and seemingly couldn't decide if he wanted to stop for deputies during a bizarre pursuit that played out along Patriot Highway. Shortly after 10:15 p.m. on March 23, a deputy on patrol attempted to stop a black BMW in the area of Patriot Highway and Bear Lane. The deputy initially made contact and…

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by Zak Failla
Capitol Heights-District Heights, MD
Breaking News
District Heights Woman Who Left Shoe Behind, Fled Barefoot Through Maryland Metro Learns Fate District Heights Woman Who Left Shoe Behind, Fled Barefoot Through Maryland Metro Learns Fate District Heights Woman Who Left Shoe Behind, Fled Barefoot Through Maryland Metro Learns Fate
District Heights Woman Who Left Shoe Behind, Fled Barefoot Through Maryland Metro Learns Fate Cinderella left behind a glass slipper and got her man. Roniyah Thomas left behind a shoe, and police in Montgomery County got their woman. The 21-year-old District Heights woman is facing nearly 100 years in prison after a bizarre armed carjacking last year that ended with her running barefoot through a Metro Station. On Feb. 4, 2025, prosecutors say Thomas pointed a gun at a man, demanding his car keys as he got out of his vehicle in the area of South Park Avenue and the Hills Plaza in Chevy Chase. In an effort to protect his Subaru, the driver pushed the gun away. Thomas pulled the tri…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Troopers Save Choking Infant After Panicked Mother Flags Them Down (VIDEO) Maryland Troopers Save Choking Infant After Panicked Mother Flags Them Down (VIDEO) Maryland Troopers Save Choking Infant After Panicked Mother Flags Them Down (VIDEO)
Maryland Troopers Save Choking Infant After Panicked Mother Flags Them Down (Video) Some quick-thinking Maryland State Police troopers are being credited with saving the life of a choking infant over the weekend. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, troopers on patrol were flagged down by a panicked mother who advised that her young child had stopped breathing while drinking. The mother told troopers the boy was drinking when he started "spitting up some stuff," prompting them to jump into action. One trooper took the boy over his knee and began patting him on the back until the child was able to begin breathing again. He was then handed off to a second trooper, wh…

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by Zak Failla
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