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

Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Bomb Threat Forces George Mason Library Evacuation Hours After Similar Scare At UVA Bomb Threat Forces George Mason Library Evacuation Hours After Similar Scare At UVA Bomb Threat Forces George Mason Library Evacuation Hours After Similar Scare At UVA
Bomb Threat Forces George Mason Library Evacuation Hours After Similar Scare At UVA A second Virginia university was targeted with a bomb threat Friday, forcing another library evacuation just hours after a similar scare unfolded across the state. The latest incident happened at George Mason University, where Fenwick Library on the Fairfax campus was shut down Friday afternoon while police investigated a potential bomb threat. Students and staff were ordered to leave the library and avoid the area as university police began searching the building, according to Mason alerts sent to the campus community. Officials emphasized the threat had not been confirmed but investigato…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Breaking News
PG County Police Corporal, Two Former Officers Charged With Misconduct, Conspiracy (DEVELOPING) PG County Police Corporal, Two Former Officers Charged With Misconduct, Conspiracy (DEVELOPING) PG County Police Corporal, Two Former Officers Charged With Misconduct, Conspiracy (DEVELOPING)
PG County Police Corporal, Two Former Officers Charged With Misconduct, Conspiracy (Developing) Three Prince George’s County police officers — including one currently with the department — are now facing criminal charges in Maryland. The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Friday, March 13, that Cpl. Timothy Green and former officers Sierra Alston and Gerald Briscoe have been charged with misconduct in office and related conspiracy offenses. Green, who joined the Prince George’s County Police Department in 2015, is charged with two counts of misconduct in office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct, officials said. Alston faces one count of miscondu…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Two Pulled Unconscious From Inferno As Flames Rip Through Hagerstown Home In Dramatic Rescue Two Pulled Unconscious From Inferno As Flames Rip Through Hagerstown Home In Dramatic Rescue Two Pulled Unconscious From Inferno As Flames Rip Through Hagerstown Home In Dramatic Rescue
Two Pulled Unconscious From Inferno As Flames Rip Through Hagerstown Home In Dramatic Rescue Two people were pulled unconscious from a burning home in Maryland early Friday morning after firefighters rushed into a building engulfed in flames and heavy smoke. The dramatic rescue unfolded shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, March 13, at a multi-residential home on South Prospect Street in Hagerstown, according to fire officials. Emergency crews were dispatched around 12:52 a.m. to 145 South Prospect Street after multiple callers reported flames shooting from the structure and warned that people might still be trapped inside. When firefighters arrived, they found the building already he…

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by Zak Failla
Montgomery Village, MD
Breaking News
Montgomery Village Man Admits Drug Deal Murder That Ended With Victim’s Car In Townhouse Montgomery Village Man Admits Drug Deal Murder That Ended With Victim’s Car In Townhouse Montgomery Village Man Admits Drug Deal Murder That Ended With Victim’s Car In Townhouse
Montgomery Village Man Admits Drug Deal Murder That Ended With Victim’s Car In Townhouse A Maryland man has admitted to a deadly shooting that ended with the victim’s car crashing into a townhouse, closing the book on a case that stunned a Montgomery County neighborhood last spring. Demari Howard Brown, 21, of Montgomery Village, pleaded guilty Friday, March 13, to first-degree murder in the killing of 20-year-old Henry Krishawn Gilbert, prosecutors announced. The fatal shooting happened on April 26, 2025, when Gilbert was found slumped behind the wheel of a green Honda Civic on Brookridge Court in Gaithersburg, investigators said. Moments after he was shot, the car rolled for…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Sheriff Investigating Targeted Drive-By Shooting That Left 26-Year-Old Dead In Waldorf Sheriff Investigating Targeted Drive-By Shooting That Left 26-Year-Old Dead In Waldorf Sheriff Investigating Targeted Drive-By Shooting That Left 26-Year-Old Dead In Waldorf
Sheriff Investigating Targeted Drive-By Shooting That Left 26-Year-Old Dead In Waldorf A 26-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting in what investigators believe was a targeted attack in Maryland. Detectives from the Charles County Sheriff's Office have launched an investigation into a murder reported on Davis Road in Waldorf earlier this week. According to the agency, shortly after 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, officers were called to the 2200 block of Davis Road for a reported shooting involving a person suffering from gunshot wounds. Investigators say that Waldorf resident Jakale Deshon Norman was standing outside of a home when an unknown suspect drove up in …

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Man Stabbed Nine Times In Waldorf Home Attack; Jury Convicts Killer Years Later Man Stabbed Nine Times In Waldorf Home Attack; Jury Convicts Killer Years Later Man Stabbed Nine Times In Waldorf Home Attack; Jury Convicts Killer Years Later
Man Stabbed Nine Times In Waldorf Home Attack; Jury Convicts Killer Years Later A Maryland man arrested for a deadly stabbing inside a home years ago has been convicted of murder, authorities announced. Scott Anthony Goldsmith, 55, was convicted by a Charles County jury in connection with the killing of Timothy Louis Portzen and the assault of a woman in La Plata in October 2023, according to the state's attorney's office. The verdict stems from a violent attack inside a Waldorf residence during the early morning hours of October 3, 2023. Investigators say Goldsmith arrived at the home the night of the fatal stabbing and was met by a woman at the front door. He demand…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Missing 9-Year-Old Found Safe In Baltimore After Months-Long Search, Officials Say Missing 9-Year-Old Found Safe In Baltimore After Months-Long Search, Officials Say Missing 9-Year-Old Found Safe In Baltimore After Months-Long Search, Officials Say
Missing 9-Year-Old Found Safe In Baltimore After Months-Long Search, Officials Say Relief swept across Maryland on Friday after a missing 9-year-old child whose disappearance haunted Baltimore for months was finally found safe. Tristan King was located Friday morning, March 13, ending a search that began when the Baltimore boy vanished on Sept. 24, 2025, according to city officials. Baltimore Police located Tristan at a residence in the Curtis Bay area after investigators received a tip that led members of the department’s Missing Persons Unit to the home, officials said. Officers transported the child to a nearby hospital after he was found, where he received medical an…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Masked Man Rides School Bus To James Monroe High School, Assaults Staffer Outside: Police Masked Man Rides School Bus To James Monroe High School, Assaults Staffer Outside: Police Masked Man Rides School Bus To James Monroe High School, Assaults Staffer Outside: Police
Masked Man Rides School Bus To James Monroe High School, Assaults Staffer Outside: Police A masked man who rode a school bus in Virginia and attempted to enter a high school building is behind bars after assaulting a staffer, according to police. Spotsylvania resident Jordan Cromes, 32, is facing multiple trespassing charges following a strange scene that played out Friday morning at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg. Officers from the Fredericksburg Police Department were called to the school at around 7:40 a.m. on March 13, when Cromes attempted to enter the building but was denied entry by staff. When he refused to leave the premises, it is alleged that Cromes assau…

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by Zak Failla
Columbia, MD
Weather
Brief EF-1 Tornado Touches Down In Howard County During Thursday Storms Brief EF-1 Tornado Touches Down In Howard County During Thursday Storms Brief EF-1 Tornado Touches Down In Howard County During Thursday Storms
Brief EF-1 Tornado Touches Down In Howard County During Thursday Storms A brief but powerful tornado touched down in Maryland earlier during Thursday's storms, the National Weather Service confirmed after surveying storm damage in Howard County. The EF-1 tornado struck Cooksville on March 11, between 7:06 p.m. and 7:07 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Investigators say the tornado packed estimated peak winds of 90 mph as it carved a 0.4-mile path through the area near Old Frederick Road. National Weather Service The storm reached a maximum width of about 100 yards, snapping and uprooting numerous trees along its narrow track, officials said. …

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Your Community
Bomb Threat Prompts Library Evacuations At UVA Before Police Clear Campus Bomb Threat Prompts Library Evacuations At UVA Before Police Clear Campus Bomb Threat Prompts Library Evacuations At UVA Before Police Clear Campus
Bomb Threat Prompts Library Evacuations At UVA Before Police Clear Campus A bomb threat that forced evacuations at two University of Virginia libraries Friday afternoon turned out to be a scare, not a danger. University police cleared the threat shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday, March 13, after an hours-long investigation at Shannon Library on McCormick Road in Charlottesville, authorities said. Students and staff were first alerted around 10:49 a.m. when a bomb threat was reported at Shannon Library, prompting an immediate evacuation of the building. University Police quickly responded and expanded the evacuation to nearby Clemons Library as officers secured the…

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by Zak Failla
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