Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Man Found Dead After Gas Release Triggers Hazmat Scare In Derwood Neighborhood (DEVELOPING) Man Found Dead After Gas Release Triggers Hazmat Scare In Derwood Neighborhood (DEVELOPING) Man Found Dead After Gas Release Triggers Hazmat Scare In Derwood Neighborhood (DEVELOPING)
Man Found Dead After Gas Release Triggers Hazmat Scare In Derwood Neighborhood (Developing) A hazardous materials scare in Maryland ended in tragedy Tuesday afternoon after police say a man released gas inside his home and was later found dead. Montgomery County police were dispatched around 2:39 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, to the 8100 block of Front Street in Derwood, after reports that a person had released hazardous material inside a residence, according to authorities. Officers quickly evacuated nearby homes as a precaution and urged the public to stay away from the area while first responders assessed the danger. Firefighters later determined the substance was gas, which was su…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
MS-13 Killer Who Confessed To Torture, Dismemberment Arrested In Alexandria: HSI MS-13 Killer Who Confessed To Torture, Dismemberment Arrested In Alexandria: HSI MS-13 Killer Who Confessed To Torture, Dismemberment Arrested In Alexandria: HSI
MS-13 Killer Who Confessed To Torture, Dismemberment Arrested In Alexandria: HSI A self-admitted MS-13 gang member who confessed to five murders in El Salvador was arrested in Virginia just weeks before the state ended mandatory cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. Federal officials announced on Tuesday, Feb. 3, that Edwin Antonio Hernandez Hernandez, 27, of El Salvador, was taken into custody in Alexandria after US Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged his extensive criminal history during a routine appointment. DHS officials said Hernandez illegally entered the US in 2015 as an unaccompanied mino…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Montgomery County Victims Spark Global FBI Takedown Of $50M Scam Ring In India Montgomery County Victims Spark Global FBI Takedown Of $50M Scam Ring In India Montgomery County Victims Spark Global FBI Takedown Of $50M Scam Ring In India
Montgomery County Victims Spark Global FBI Takedown Of $50M Scam Ring In India A yearlong investigation that began with terrified Maryland victims has ended with an international takedown halfway around the world. Federal and local authorities announced that a joint investigation rooted in Montgomery County led to the dismantling of three scam call centers in India that stole nearly $50 million from Americans — including more than $6.2 million from Marylanders alone, officials said. The sweeping probe was led by the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, after residents across the county re…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Frederick Fugitive Busted With Stolen Glock, Crack, And Cash During Traffic Stop: Sheriff Frederick Fugitive Busted With Stolen Glock, Crack, And Cash During Traffic Stop: Sheriff Frederick Fugitive Busted With Stolen Glock, Crack, And Cash During Traffic Stop: Sheriff
Frederick Fugitive Busted With Stolen Glock, Crack, And Cash During Traffic Stop: Sheriff A fugitive in Maryland was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was caught with a Glock stolen out of Virginia during a traffic stop. Jamar Harvey, 21, who was already wanted on assault and other charges, is behind bars following a timely traffic stop that was conducted by members of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the area of East Street and East Patrick Street, leading to Harvey's arrest. According to the agency, Harvey — who had multiple warrants out for his arrest in Frederick — was identifie…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Weather
Tragedy Strikes Day After Ice Warning: Body Pulled From Frozen Potomac Under 14th Street Bridge Tragedy Strikes Day After Ice Warning: Body Pulled From Frozen Potomac Under 14th Street Bridge Tragedy Strikes Day After Ice Warning: Body Pulled From Frozen Potomac Under 14th Street Bridge
Tragedy Strikes Day After Ice Warning: Body Pulled From Frozen Potomac Under 14th Street Bridge One day after police issued a warning advising against walking along the icy water of the Potomac River, a body was pulled from under the 14th Street Bridge. What began as a rescue effort by DC Fire and EMS crews turned into a recovery on Tuesday, Feb. 3, when a person was spotted on the ice mid-span, officials said. The body was located on the ice below the 14th Street Bridge, forcing firefighters to cross from Ohio Drive to reach the victim. As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, officials confirmed the body had been removed from the ice and transported to land by a Metropolitan Police Department harb…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC School Employee Charged After Undercover Sting Uncovers Child Porn Distribution: DOJ DC School Employee Charged After Undercover Sting Uncovers Child Porn Distribution: DOJ DC School Employee Charged After Undercover Sting Uncovers Child Porn Distribution: DOJ
DC School Employee Charged After Undercover Sting Uncovers Child Porn Distribution: DOJ A Maryland man working for a school system in DC is facing charges for distributing child porn to an undercover agent, federal authorities announced. Dandre Eric Davis, 31, a self-proclaimed "kinky perv," was charged with distribution of child pornography this week after being identified during a sting operation targeting predators online. In early January, prosecutors say that Davis began communicating with the officer through an online dating app, where he spoke openly about his sexual interest in children — specifically those between the ages of 7 and 15.  Over the course of more t…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Weather
Light Snow, Icy Roads Could Wreck Commute Again Wednesday Morning In Maryland Light Snow, Icy Roads Could Wreck Commute Again Wednesday Morning In Maryland Light Snow, Icy Roads Could Wreck Commute Again Wednesday Morning In Maryland
Light Snow, Icy Roads Could Wreck Commute Again Wednesday Morning In Maryland Winter just will not let go. Another round of snow — light, stubborn, and annoying — is expected to slide through the region overnight, setting up what could be a slick and icy commute across Maryland, Northern Virginia, and DC early Wednesday morning, weather officials warned. The National Weather Service says snow is likely to taper off sometime between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, but the real problem comes after — temperatures are expected to stay below freezing right through the morning rush, turning untreated roads into skating rinks. Accumulation is expected to stay under…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Pasadena Man Who Secretly Filmed Child Showering, Shared Footage Online Learns Prison Fate Pasadena Man Who Secretly Filmed Child Showering, Shared Footage Online Learns Prison Fate Pasadena Man Who Secretly Filmed Child Showering, Shared Footage Online Learns Prison Fate
Pasadena Man Who Secretly Filmed Child Showering, Shared Footage Online Learns Prison Fate A Maryland man who secretly recorded a child while they showered and shared it with a community of like-minded individuals will spend more than a decade in federal prison, authorities announced. Pasadena native Andrew Joseph Stilling, Jr., 39, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with child sexual exploitation charges. According to the US Attorney's Office, beginning in September 2024, Stilling was part of an online group with other adults who were sexually interested in children. In the group, he discussed how he secretly recorded a minor while they showered. Over …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
From Work To ICU: Virginia Woman Critically Injured Walking Home In Winter Storm From Work To ICU: Virginia Woman Critically Injured Walking Home In Winter Storm From Work To ICU: Virginia Woman Critically Injured Walking Home In Winter Storm
From Work To ICU: Virginia Woman Critically Injured Walking Home In Winter Storm A winter storm turned a routine trip home into a nightmare for a young Virginia woman who was struck by a vehicle while trying to get home from work amid dangerous conditions. ShiAnn Graves was critically injured during the storm after unsafe roads and sidewalks forced her into harm’s way, leaving her fighting for her life in a Richmond hospital and a community holding its breath. Family members say Graves was walking home from work when she was hit during the severe weather, which left much of the region coated in snow and ice. She was rushed to the hospital and placed in the ICU, where s…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Where Is Nancy Strohmeyer? Police Renew 10-Year-Old Germantown Cold Case Where Is Nancy Strohmeyer? Police Renew 10-Year-Old Germantown Cold Case Where Is Nancy Strohmeyer? Police Renew 10-Year-Old Germantown Cold Case
Where Is Nancy Strohmeyer? Police Renew 10-Year-Old Germantown Cold Case Ten years after she vanished without a trace, detectives are again asking the public for help in finding a Maryland woman whose disappearance has never been explained. Nancy Eillen Strohmeyer, who was 66 years old at the time, was reported missing out of Germantown in February 2016 after she stopped communicating with family and could not be found inside her home, according to Montgomery County police. Strohmeyer lived in the 13100 block of Millhaven Place, where investigators say she last spoke with a family member by phone at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. She was never heard …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 336 of 3978 334 335 336 337 338 Next
3,351 - 3,360 of 39,774 articles