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
'Armed Security' Guard With Rifle Arrested In Baltimore Smoke Shop Drug Bust, Police Say 'Armed Security' Guard With Rifle Arrested In Baltimore Smoke Shop Drug Bust, Police Say 'Armed Security' Guard With Rifle Arrested In Baltimore Smoke Shop Drug Bust, Police Say
'Armed Security' Guard With Rifle Arrested In Baltimore Smoke Shop Drug Bust, Police Say A smoke shop in Maryland wasn’t just selling products — police say it was moving drugs while a man wearing an “Armed Security” vest stood inside with a loaded rifle. Detectives shut down the operation in Baltimore, where a search warrant at a smoke shop led to a major seizure and arrest, according to police. The warrant was executed around 1:11 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, in the 2100 block of East Monument Street, where investigators had already been watching activity inside the store. Police say what they found matched what they had been seeing. A 22-year-old man inside the shop had been …

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by Zak Failla
Reston, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Family Says Goodbye To Teen As Sister Battles For Life After Reston Crash Virginia Family Says Goodbye To Teen As Sister Battles For Life After Reston Crash Virginia Family Says Goodbye To Teen As Sister Battles For Life After Reston Crash
Virginia Family Says Goodbye To Teen As Sister Battles For Life After Reston Crash A Fairfax County family is now dealing with both loss and a medical crisis after a crash in Reston killed Ashley Romero and left her sister, Stephanie Romero, fighting for her life. Ashley, 16, died in the crash. Stephanie survived, but with severe burn injuries that cover a large portion of her body. Family members say she is expected to undergo at least six surgeries as part of her recovery. She remains hospitalized. Stephanie is also the mother of a 1-year-old girl, adding another layer of urgency for the family as they navigate what comes next. “My sister Stephanie is fighting for he…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
Peeping Tom Caught Filming Woman In H&M Dressing Room In Rockville At Large: Police (VIDEO) Peeping Tom Caught Filming Woman In H&M Dressing Room In Rockville At Large: Police (VIDEO) Peeping Tom Caught Filming Woman In H&M Dressing Room In Rockville At Large: Police (VIDEO)
Peeping Tom Caught Filming Woman In H&M Dressing Room In Rockville At Large: Police (Video) Recognize him?  Investigators in Maryland are seeking the public's assistance as they attempt to track down a Peeping Tom who spied on a woman who was changing in a dressing room inside an H&M store in Montgomery County. An alert was issued by the Montgomery County Department of Police on Wednesday, March 18, regarding an incident earlier this year involving a man who filmed a woman in the Rockville store.  According to police, shortly before 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, a woman was trying on clothes in a dressing room of the store in the 11800 block of Grand Park Avenue whe…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Breaking News
Driver Ejected, Killed In I-495 Crash Near I-95 That Shut Down Beltway Lanes (DEVELOPING) Driver Ejected, Killed In I-495 Crash Near I-95 That Shut Down Beltway Lanes (DEVELOPING) Driver Ejected, Killed In I-495 Crash Near I-95 That Shut Down Beltway Lanes (DEVELOPING)
Driver Ejected, Killed In I-495 Crash Near I-95 That Shut Down Beltway Lanes (Developing) One person was killed on I-495 in Maryland on Wednesday in a crash that shut down lanes of the Beltway during the morning commute. Shortly after 9:15 a.m. on March 18, first responders were called to a stretch of the interstate near I-95 northbound, where multiple vehicles collided and one person was ejected in Prince George's County. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency crews shut down lanes on the Inner Loop as they responded, while the ramp to I-95 northbound remained blocked during the investigation. The crash created major delays across the region, with traffic backing u…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Weather
EF1 Tornado Confirmed In Maryland After Violent Storms Slam Eastern Shore EF1 Tornado Confirmed In Maryland After Violent Storms Slam Eastern Shore EF1 Tornado Confirmed In Maryland After Violent Storms Slam Eastern Shore
EF1 Tornado Confirmed In Maryland After Violent Storms Slam Eastern Shore The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down on the Eastern Shore after storms tore through the region, leaving behind damage and dangerous winds. The tornado touched down in Caroline County, with Ridgely taking a direct hit as survey teams found evidence of an EF1 tornado packing winds up to 100 mph. That wasn’t the only damage. As the storm pushed across the Shore, it unleashed a wide swath of straight-line winds stretching from Sudlersville to Millington, strong enough to snap limbs, knock down trees, and cause damage even without rotation. Those winds were clocked…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
On Your Side
Unsafe For US Roads? Feds Seize Dozens Of Electric Bikes From China Bound For Virginia Streets Unsafe For US Roads? Feds Seize Dozens Of Electric Bikes From China Bound For Virginia Streets Unsafe For US Roads? Feds Seize Dozens Of Electric Bikes From China Bound For Virginia Streets
Unsafe For US Roads? Feds Seize Dozens Of Electric Bikes From China Bound For Virginia Streets A shipment of electric bikes bound for a Virginia shop was stopped cold after federal officials determined they didn’t meet US safety standards and shouldn’t be on the road. Dozens of e-bikes never made it to the streets after agents seized the shipment from China in Norfolk after it arrived in Hampton Roads earlier this year, authorities announced on Tuesday, March 17. According to Customs and Border Protection, the bikes were not fully compliant with federal rules.  They allegedly lacked required certification labels, were only partially assembled, and did not include the safety mar…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Built In The 1900s, Gone In Minutes: Maryland Neighbors Steps Up After Massive Barn Fire Built In The 1900s, Gone In Minutes: Maryland Neighbors Steps Up After Massive Barn Fire Built In The 1900s, Gone In Minutes: Maryland Neighbors Steps Up After Massive Barn Fire
Built In The 1900s, Gone In Minutes: Maryland Neighbors Steps Up After Massive Barn Fire The smoke has cleared in Maryland, but for one family, the loss is just beginning — and now, their community is stepping in to help them rebuild. Days after a massive three-alarm fire tore through a livestock barn built more than a century ago in Oakland, support is pouring in across Garrett County as neighbors, businesses, and loved ones rally around Nathan and Misty Petersheim. The blaze broke out Saturday afternoon on Pleasant Valley Road, destroying the barns and killing dozens of chickens — a devastating loss already felt across the tight-knit farming community. The fire in Mar…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
MARC Train Slams Vehicle On Tracks In Rockville, Road Shut During Rush Hour (DEVELOPING) MARC Train Slams Vehicle On Tracks In Rockville, Road Shut During Rush Hour (DEVELOPING) MARC Train Slams Vehicle On Tracks In Rockville, Road Shut During Rush Hour (DEVELOPING)
MARC Train Slams Vehicle On Tracks In Rockville, Road Shut During Rush Hour (Developing) A MARC passenger train struck a vehicle sitting on the tracks in Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a massive emergency response and shutting down a busy roadway during rush hour. The crash happened around 4:10 p.m. at the railroad crossing near Randolph Road and Nebel Street in Rockville, when a vehicle ended up on the tracks and was hit by the oncoming train, according to Montgomery County officials. First responders arrived to find the train had collided with the vehicle at the crossing, drawing a large-scale response from fire and rescue crews across the county. Twitter/@…

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by Zak Failla
Vienna, VA
Breaking News
Vienna Nurse Held By ICE Sparks Outrage: ‘These Are The People You Want To Deport?’ Vienna Nurse Held By ICE Sparks Outrage: ‘These Are The People You Want To Deport?’ Vienna Nurse Held By ICE Sparks Outrage: ‘These Are The People You Want To Deport?’
Vienna Nurse Held By ICE Sparks Outrage: ‘These Are The People You Want To Deport?’ A Northern Virginia nurse known for taking care of others is now the one in need — and the people who know him are not staying quiet. Silvino Gutierrez Resendiz built his life around helping people. He worked as a nurse. He showed up for patients. He showed up for friends. He showed up for strangers. Now, the Vienna resident is sitting in an ICE detention facility — and the people who know him are trying to figure out how that makes any sense. “Trying hard to understand why a perfectly good person who is a legal, contributing member of society is being held by ICE,” Natalie Mlakar wrote. …

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Woman Dies After Being Pulled From Burning Hagerstown Home; Teen Fights For Life: Fire Marshal Woman Dies After Being Pulled From Burning Hagerstown Home; Teen Fights For Life: Fire Marshal Woman Dies After Being Pulled From Burning Hagerstown Home; Teen Fights For Life: Fire Marshal
Woman Dies After Being Pulled From Burning Hagerstown Home; Teen Fights For Life: Fire Marshal A woman pulled from a burning home in Maryland over the weekend has died from her injuries, and a teen remains hospitalized with critical injuries, authorities announced in an update on Tuesday. Officials from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center reported that Monae Williams-Lee, 50, succumbed to her injuries she received during a Hagerstown fire on Friday. Emergency crews were dispatched around 12:52 a.m. on March 13 to 145 South Prospect St. after multiple callers reported flames shooting from the structure and warned that people might still be trapped inside. Investigators later confirm…

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by Zak Failla
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