Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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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

Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Innocent Bystanders Hurt After Parking Lot Argument Erupts Into Gunfire In Manassas: Police Innocent Bystanders Hurt After Parking Lot Argument Erupts Into Gunfire In Manassas: Police Innocent Bystanders Hurt After Parking Lot Argument Erupts Into Gunfire In Manassas: Police
Innocent Bystanders Hurt After Parking Lot Argument Erupts Into Gunfire In Manassas: Police A parking lot blowup in Virginia turned into a hail of bullets when a teen gunman allegedly blasted an occupied car and shattered a second vehicle packed with innocent bystanders, police said. Demetrius John Eaton, 18, is facing a host of charges following a reported shooting that broke out in a busy parking lot in Manassas on Friday night, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Officers were called around 8 p.m. on Feb. 6, to the 10400 block of Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas to investigate a reported shooting in the parking lot. Investigators say that a verbal argument …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Rock-Smashing Phone Store Burglaries Across Fairfax Lead To DC Arrest In 24 Hours: Police Rock-Smashing Phone Store Burglaries Across Fairfax Lead To DC Arrest In 24 Hours: Police Rock-Smashing Phone Store Burglaries Across Fairfax Lead To DC Arrest In 24 Hours: Police
Rock-Smashing Phone Store Burglaries Across Fairfax Lead To DC Arrest In 24 Hours: Police Less than 24 hours after a string of overnight phone store burglaries — including one caught on video showing a suspect calmly throwing rocks at a storefront window in Virginia — a DC man is in custody. The hunt began shortly before 2 a.m. on Jan. 28, when officers responded to a burglary at a Boost Mobile store after a suspect smashed the front window with a rock, walked inside, and carried off the cash register, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Detectives said surveillance footage captured the entire break-in, including the moment the suspect used a rock as his tool of c…

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by Zak Failla
Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD
Breaking News
PG County Detective Spent Career Helping Others; Now He Faces Long Recovery After Injury PG County Detective Spent Career Helping Others; Now He Faces Long Recovery After Injury PG County Detective Spent Career Helping Others; Now He Faces Long Recovery After Injury
PG County Detective Spent Career Helping Others; Now He Faces Long Recovery After Injury A veteran police detective in Maryland known for protecting others is now fighting to recover after being seriously injured off the job, friends say. Det. Gregory Travis, a longtime member of the Prince George’s County Police Department and a task force officer, was described by friends and colleagues as a dedicated public servant who spent his career helping people during their most difficult moments. Now he is the one in need. Friends say the injury occurred off duty and has left Travis unable to work while he undergoes extensive rehabilitation, compounding the financial strain and emoti…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
14th Street Closed In Downtown DC Over Fears Of Collapse Above Century-Old Sewer 14th Street Closed In Downtown DC Over Fears Of Collapse Above Century-Old Sewer 14th Street Closed In Downtown DC Over Fears Of Collapse Above Century-Old Sewer
14th Street Closed In Downtown DC Over Fears Of Collapse Above Century-Old Sewer A major stretch of 14th Street in downtown Washington, DC has been shut down amid fears the roadway could collapse over a century-old sewer tunnel buried beneath the street. All northbound lanes of 14th Street NW between L Street and Thomas Circle were closed after engineers determined an abandoned brick-lined sewer tunnel below the roadway posed an imminent risk of collapse, DC Water said. The emergency closure began shortly after midnight Saturday, Feb. 7, after officials flagged instability in the roadway under the weight of vehicle traffic. Further engineering inspections confirmed urge…

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by Zak Failla
Annandale, VA
Breaking News
Annandale Doctor Linked To Massive Prescription Drug Network Spanning Dozens Of States: Feds Annandale Doctor Linked To Massive Prescription Drug Network Spanning Dozens Of States: Feds Annandale Doctor Linked To Massive Prescription Drug Network Spanning Dozens Of States: Feds
Annandale Doctor Linked To Massive Prescription Drug Network Spanning Dozens Of States: Feds What started in a doctor’s office in Northern Virginia ended up stretching across more than a dozen states, dozens of pharmacies, and thousands of illegal prescriptions. Two Maryland men have pleaded guilty in a sweeping drug distribution conspiracy tied to an Annandale-based doctor who funneled oxycodone, lean, and other controlled substances into communities across the country, federal prosecutors announced on Monday. Obioma Alozie Ndubuka, 32, also known as “Bank Roll,” of Derwood, and Raymono Alfonzo Russell II, 25, of Bowie, pleaded guilty in federal court in Abingdon to conspiring to …

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by Zak Failla
Ashburn, VA
Breaking News
Improperly Discarded Cigarette Causes $485K Fire, Partially Collapsing Ashburn Home Improperly Discarded Cigarette Causes $485K Fire, Partially Collapsing Ashburn Home Improperly Discarded Cigarette Causes $485K Fire, Partially Collapsing Ashburn Home
Improperly Discarded Cigarette Causes $485K Fire, Partially Collapsing Ashburn Home One cigarette set off a chain reaction that left a Virginia home heavily damaged, fire officials say. Improperly discarded smoking materials are to blame for a fast-moving garage fire that tore through an Ashburn home, partially collapsed part of the residence, damaged a neighboring house, and caused nearly $500,000 in losses. The fire broke out just after 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at a single-family home in the 20000 block of Citation Drive, prompting multiple residents to call 911 to report flames coming from the garage. When firefighters arrived, the flames had already spread beyond the …

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by Zak Failla
Ellicott City, MD
Breaking News
Husband Surrenders After Estranged Wife Stabbed To Death In Ellicott City Home, Police Say Husband Surrenders After Estranged Wife Stabbed To Death In Ellicott City Home, Police Say Husband Surrenders After Estranged Wife Stabbed To Death In Ellicott City Home, Police Say
Husband Surrenders After Estranged Wife Stabbed To Death In Ellicott City Home, Police Say A man who allegedly stabbed his estranged wife to death inside a Maryland home surrendered to police over the weekend, authorities announced. Alexander Stephenson, 53, is facing a murder charge after allegedly violating a protective order and killing 47-year-old Amethyst Stephenson on Sunday morning. According to the Howard County Police Department, shortly before 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 8, officers were called to the 3400 block of Huntsman Run in Ellicott City, where there was a reported stabbing.  It is alleged that Stephenson stabbed his wife and fled the area. She was pronounced dead at…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
DNA Evidence Leads To Arrest In Two Brutal Montgomery County Cold Case Rapes: Police DNA Evidence Leads To Arrest In Two Brutal Montgomery County Cold Case Rapes: Police DNA Evidence Leads To Arrest In Two Brutal Montgomery County Cold Case Rapes: Police
DNA Evidence Leads To Arrest In Two Brutal Montgomery County Cold Case Rapes: Police DNA evidence has cracked two brutal sexual assaults that haunted a Maryland community for decades — and detectives say the story may not be over. Montgomery County police have identified and charged a Virginia man in connection with two cold case rapes dating back to the late 1980s and 1990s, authorities announced Monday, Feb. 9. Carl Rice Jr., of Mitchells, is facing a sweeping list of charges tied to the decades-old attacks, including multiple counts of first-degree rape and kidnapping, as well as first-degree sex offense, first-degree assault, and second-degree assault. The charges…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Tractor-Trailer Crash With Injury Snarls Traffic On Maryland Beltway In Montgomery County Tractor-Trailer Crash With Injury Snarls Traffic On Maryland Beltway In Montgomery County Tractor-Trailer Crash With Injury Snarls Traffic On Maryland Beltway In Montgomery County
Tractor-Trailer Crash With Injury Snarls Traffic On Maryland Beltway In Montgomery County A tractor-trailer crash with injuries snarled traffic on the Maryland Beltway during the Monday morning commute, backing up traffic for miles and forcing lane closures. The crash happened in Montgomery County on the Outer Loop of I-495 past Cabin John Parkway on, Feb. 9, shortly before 7 a.m., according to officials. Authorities said one vehicle was involved in the crash, which left at least one person injured and prompted a large emergency response to the scene. Officials said two right lanes on the Outer Loop remained blocked late Monday morning, while two left lanes were able to reopen …

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by Zak Failla
Damascus, MD
Breaking News
Kids’ Warning Saves Family As Accidental Townhouse Fire Injures Parents In Damascus (PHOTOS) Kids’ Warning Saves Family As Accidental Townhouse Fire Injures Parents In Damascus (PHOTOS) Kids’ Warning Saves Family As Accidental Townhouse Fire Injures Parents In Damascus (PHOTOS)
Kids’ Warning Saves Family As Accidental Townhouse Fire Injures Parents In Damascus (Photos) A warning from two young children helped save a family from an accidental fire in Maryland, but both parents were burned while trying to stop the blaze, fire officials said. The blaze was first reported around 2:20 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, in a two-story townhouse on Shelldrake Court near Valley Park Drive in Damascus, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Fire officials said the blaze started in a second-floor bedroom and was ruled accidental after an open flame was placed too close to combustible materials. Officials said the two children noticed the smoke and flames and …

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by Zak Failla
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