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

Edgewater-Mayo, MD
Breaking News
23-Year-Old Killed After Losing Control, Crashing Into Tree Along Edgewater Road: Police 23-Year-Old Killed After Losing Control, Crashing Into Tree Along Edgewater Road: Police 23-Year-Old Killed After Losing Control, Crashing Into Tree Along Edgewater Road: Police
23-Year-Old Killed After Losing Control, Crashing Into Tree Along Edgewater Road: Police A 23-year-old man is dead after losing control and crashing into a tree early on Friday morning in Maryland, according to police. Brian Vincent Yetter has been identified by the Anne Arundel County Police Department as the driver who was killed after a chain-reaction crash that ended with his car in a tree. Officers were called shortly after 2 a.m. on Feb. 20 to a stretch of Solomons Island Road near Poplar Point Road in Edgewater, where there was a reported single-vehicle crash. Investigators say that Yetter was heading south on Solomons Island Road south of East Road when, for an un…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Arlington Teen Arrested After Walking Up To Parked Car, Opening Fire In Broad Daylight: Police Arlington Teen Arrested After Walking Up To Parked Car, Opening Fire In Broad Daylight: Police Arlington Teen Arrested After Walking Up To Parked Car, Opening Fire In Broad Daylight: Police
Arlington Teen Arrested After Walking Up To Parked Car, Opening Fire In Broad Daylight: Police A quiet Virginia neighborhood turned chaotic just after lunch when gunfire erupted between a man on foot and someone inside a parked vehicle in the middle of the day. Nearly two months later, police say they’ve made an arrest. Malik Proctor Vasquez, 18, of Arlington, was taken into custody on Thursday, Feb. 19, and charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, reckless handling of a firearm, and carrying a concealed firearm. The shooting happened around 12:42 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, at 13th Street North and North Taft Street in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood. An offi…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Your Community
WATCH: Frederick's Rae Boyd Hits The ‘YOU,’ Nails The Moment, Earns American Idol Golden Ticket WATCH: Frederick's Rae Boyd Hits The ‘YOU,’ Nails The Moment, Earns American Idol Golden Ticket WATCH: Frederick's Rae Boyd Hits The ‘YOU,’ Nails The Moment, Earns American Idol Golden Ticket
Watch: Frederick's Rae Boyd Hits The ‘YOU,’ Nails The Moment, Earns American Idol Golden Ticket She's going to Hollywood. Maryland native Rae Boyd earned her golden ticket on "American Idol" and blew away the judges with her take on a classic during her audition in front of Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. The self-admitted Idol super fan made them feel. In front of her family and a worldwide audience, Boyd belted out Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and answered any questions that the judges may have had during her performance. "I think you read Luke's mind.... She said can she hit the 'YOU' in her chest voice, and then you did it," Underw…

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by Zak Failla
Oxon Hill, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Gamer Ludovic Mbock Detained By ICE As Community Raises $53K, Legal Fight Begins Maryland Gamer Ludovic Mbock Detained By ICE As Community Raises $53K, Legal Fight Begins Maryland Gamer Ludovic Mbock Detained By ICE As Community Raises $53K, Legal Fight Begins
Maryland Gamer Ludovic Mbock Detained By ICE As Community Raises $53K, Legal Fight Begins A longtime Maryland competitive gamer is now at the center of a fast-moving legal battle in Baltimore — and the DMV fighting game community is rallying hard behind him. Ludovic Mbock, a known Street Fighter and King of Fighters competitor with more than a decade in the scene, is currently being held by ICE, according to his supporters and multiple gaming outlets. In just over a day, more than $53,000 poured in toward a $90,000 goal to fund his legal defense. “Ludovic Mbock is a dear friend who has always brought kindness and positivity to those around him. Recently, Ludovic found hims…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Masked Spotsy Man Strips In Women’s Locker Room, Nabbed With Weapon On School Grounds: Sheriff Masked Spotsy Man Strips In Women’s Locker Room, Nabbed With Weapon On School Grounds: Sheriff Masked Spotsy Man Strips In Women’s Locker Room, Nabbed With Weapon On School Grounds: Sheriff
Masked Spotsy Man Strips In Women’s Locker Room, Nabbed With Weapon On School Grounds: Sheriff A masked man allegedly stripped and exposed himself inside a Virginia YMCA women’s locker room before bolting onto nearby school grounds — where deputies say they nabbed him armed and reeking of booze before sunrise Tuesday. Konnor Mickle, 20, put on a show early on Tuesday morning after causing chaos for residents and members of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office, officials say. Deputies were first called to the YMCA on Smith Station Road at around 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, where there were multiple reports of a man who entered the building and exposed himself in the women's locker room.  …

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by Zak Failla
Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD
Your Community
PG County School Employee, Dance Instructor Indicted On Federal Child Exploitation Charges: DOJ PG County School Employee, Dance Instructor Indicted On Federal Child Exploitation Charges: DOJ PG County School Employee, Dance Instructor Indicted On Federal Child Exploitation Charges: DOJ
PG County School Employee, Dance Instructor Indicted On Federal Child Exploitation Charges: DOJ A school employee and dance instructor in Maryland has been indicted on child sex abuse crimes, federal authorities announced. Xaviour Smith, 28, of Upper Marlboro, a Prince George's County Public Schools worker who founded 1101 Dance Academy in Temple Hills, made his initial appearance in federal court in connection with alleged coercion and enticement of children. According to the indictment, between March and August 2025, Smith persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced three minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct.  Smith allegedly exploited the minors for the purpose of …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Manassas Teen Charged After Damaged SUV Flees I-66 Hit-And-Run In Fairfax County: State Police Manassas Teen Charged After Damaged SUV Flees I-66 Hit-And-Run In Fairfax County: State Police Manassas Teen Charged After Damaged SUV Flees I-66 Hit-And-Run In Fairfax County: State Police
Manassas Teen Charged After Damaged SUV Flees I-66 Hit-And-Run In Fairfax County: State Police An 18-year-old has been arrested after speeding away from a hit-and-run crash that left another driver injured on I-66 earlier this month, Virginia State Police announced. Manassas resident Leobaldo Galicia Morales is facing charges after smashing his SUV into the back of a car in Fairfax County before fleeing the area, prompting an extensive investigation. The crash was reported in the westbound lanes of the interstate at the exit ramp to Route 28 shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, according to state police. A 2018 black Mazda 3 sedan was stopped for traffic when it was struck …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Obituaries
Baltimore Loses More Than A Ravens Superfan: Shawn “Flockman 88” Means Dies At 56 Baltimore Loses More Than A Ravens Superfan: Shawn “Flockman 88” Means Dies At 56 Baltimore Loses More Than A Ravens Superfan: Shawn “Flockman 88” Means Dies At 56
Baltimore Loses More Than A Ravens Superfan: Shawn “Flockman 88” Means Dies At 56 Baltimore lost more than a Ravens superfan this week. It lost a presence. Shawn Means — the man known across the city as “Flockman 88” — died last week at 56. Means became one of the most recognizable faces in Baltimore Ravens history, a front-row fixture at M&T Bank Stadium who bled purple from the tunnel to Ravens Walk and everywhere in between. Shawn Means, affectionately known as "Flockman 88" GoFundMe But the costumes, chains, and custom “Flockman 88” gear were only part of the story. To Baltimore, he was family. Means was a husband to Starr Means and a father firs…

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by Zak Failla
Montgomery Village, MD
Breaking News
Police Identify 6-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Self-Inflicted Shooting In Montgomery Village Police Identify 6-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Self-Inflicted Shooting In Montgomery Village Police Identify 6-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Self-Inflicted Shooting In Montgomery Village
Police Identify 6-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Self-Inflicted Shooting In Montgomery Village New details have been released days after a 6-year-old was accidentally shot to death in a Maryland townhouse. The Montgomery County Department of Police has identified Lascelle Lee IV as the child who was killed in an accidental shooting earlier this week. According to police, first responders were called at around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, to the 10100 block of Maple Leaf Drive, where there was a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel found Lee suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. Investig…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
Mumps Cases In Maryland Triple All Of 2025 Just Weeks Into The New Year, Health Officials Warn Mumps Cases In Maryland Triple All Of 2025 Just Weeks Into The New Year, Health Officials Warn Mumps Cases In Maryland Triple All Of 2025 Just Weeks Into The New Year, Health Officials Warn
Mumps Cases In Maryland Triple All Of 2025 Just Weeks Into The New Year, Health Officials Warn Mumps is spreading in Maryland — and health officials are warning clinicians to be ready. Fourteen cases have already been reported statewide in 2026, compared to just four in all of 2025, according to the Maryland Department of Health, raising concerns for some officials. Most of the recent cases are in adults in the Baltimore metropolitan area, officials said in an alert sent to paramedics, though they caution that mumps can occur in any age group, and cases may increase throughout the state. The alert, issued by Dr. Timothy Chizmar, Maryland’s State EMS Medical Director, signals th…

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by Zak Failla
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