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

Annapolis, MD
Weather
Another Storm Is Coming — Firefighters In Maryland Say Dig Out Your Hydrant Now Another Storm Is Coming — Firefighters In Maryland Say Dig Out Your Hydrant Now Another Storm Is Coming — Firefighters In Maryland Say Dig Out Your Hydrant Now
Another Storm Is Coming — Firefighters In Maryland Say Dig Out Your Hydrant Now The region is still digging out from last Sunday’s snowstorm; streets are frozen solid after days of brutal cold, and now — just to keep things interesting — another round of snow and ice is on the way. And as DC, Maryland, and Virginia brace for what’s next, firefighters across the region are making one thing clear: if your fire hydrant is buried, dig it out — now. Last week’s storm dumped heavy snow across the DMV, and the National Weather Service says the deep freeze that followed kept it from melting, turning neighborhoods into iceboxes where snowbanks hardened, and hydrants disappeared…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Weather
Maryland Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Hiking Trail During Extreme Cold Maryland Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Hiking Trail During Extreme Cold Maryland Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Hiking Trail During Extreme Cold
Maryland Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Hiking Trail During Extreme Cold A Maryland woman was found dead along a hiking trail in Anne Arundel County during the extreme cold conditions, with police saying exposure may have contributed to her death. Officers from the Annapolis Police Department were called shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28, to a trail near the tennis courts at Truxtun Park, where they found an unresponsive woman. “Annapolis Police are reporting the death of an adult female discovered earlier today during extreme cold conditions,” the agency announced. Investigators say that the woman may have slipped due to icy conditions and lat…

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Inferno Erupts Overnight As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Upper Marlboro Townhome (PHOTOS) Inferno Erupts Overnight As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Upper Marlboro Townhome (PHOTOS) Inferno Erupts Overnight As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Upper Marlboro Townhome (PHOTOS)
Inferno Erupts Overnight As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Upper Marlboro Townhome (Photos) Maryland firefighters were met with towering flames and heavy smoke in the middle of the night after a fast-moving house fire tore through a townhome. Prince George’s County Fire and EMS crews were dispatched shortly before 3 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, to the 4500 block of Col Gardiner Way in Upper Marlboro, where there were multiple reports of a blaze showing from the front of a three-story home. The Upper Marlboro fire. Prince George's County Fire/EMS Photos from the scene show flames blowing out of the home as firefighters stretched hoses across snow-covered streets and ladders wer…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Mysterious Leesburg Manhole Blast Solved: Teen Arrested After IED Explosion, Fire Marshals Say Mysterious Leesburg Manhole Blast Solved: Teen Arrested After IED Explosion, Fire Marshals Say Mysterious Leesburg Manhole Blast Solved: Teen Arrested After IED Explosion, Fire Marshals Say
Mysterious Leesburg Manhole Blast Solved: Teen Arrested After IED Explosion, Fire Marshals Say Nearly four months after a mysterious early-morning blast sent manhole covers flying in Virginia, fire marshals say the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device — and an arrest has now been made. The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office announced that 18-year-old Leesburg resident Trent Lasher has been arrested in connection with the October 2025 incident that rattled a quiet neighborhood before dawn. The explosion happened just after 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5, near Sparkleberry Terrace in northeast Leesburg, when residents reported a loud blast that dislodged s…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Lost For 5 Years, Found In The Snow: Fairfax County Dog’s Reunion Is Winter Miracle (PHOTOS) Lost For 5 Years, Found In The Snow: Fairfax County Dog’s Reunion Is Winter Miracle (PHOTOS) Lost For 5 Years, Found In The Snow: Fairfax County Dog’s Reunion Is Winter Miracle (PHOTOS)
Lost For 5 Years, Found In The Snow: Fairfax County Dog’s Reunion Is Winter Miracle (Photos) While the snow and ice in Virginia caused hell for many, one family is celebrating a reunion five years in the making. The Fairfax County Animal Shelter reported that Luke has been reunited with his family five years after they reported him missing, following his discovery frolicking in the snow after the latest storm. Luke was adopted by the family as a puppy, and they were with him through sleepless nights, his first birthday, and even graduation from puppy school, but when he was 3 years old, he went missing. "His family searched everywhere, desperate to find their best friend," officia…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
One Year Later, NTSB Blames ‘Systemic Failures’ For Deadly Potomac Plane Crash One Year Later, NTSB Blames ‘Systemic Failures’ For Deadly Potomac Plane Crash One Year Later, NTSB Blames ‘Systemic Failures’ For Deadly Potomac Plane Crash
One Year Later, NTSB Blames ‘Systemic Failures’ For Deadly Potomac Plane Crash One year after a midair collision over the Potomac River killed 67 people, federal investigators say the crash was not an unavoidable accident — but the result of long-standing, systemic failures in how the airspace over the nation’s capital was managed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that breakdowns in airspace design, safety oversight, and risk management by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Army contributed to the Jan. 29, 2025, collision near Reagan National Airport. “This complex and comprehensive one-year investigation identified serious an…

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by Zak Failla
Damascus, MD
Breaking News
Garbage Truck Meant To Clean Maryland Streets Ends Up Overturned In Icy Damascus Crash Garbage Truck Meant To Clean Maryland Streets Ends Up Overturned In Icy Damascus Crash Garbage Truck Meant To Clean Maryland Streets Ends Up Overturned In Icy Damascus Crash
Garbage Truck Meant To Clean Maryland Streets Ends Up Overturned In Icy Damascus Crash A garbage truck meant to clean up Maryland streets ended up becoming the mess on Thursday afternoon. The truck tasked with cleaning up Damascus roads landed on its side Thursday afternoon, after icy conditions helped flip the vehicle during a crash in Montgomery County. The collision happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, near the intersection of Woodfield Road and Watkins Road, officials said. The overturned trash truck in Montgomery County. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer said the crash involved an overturned…

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by Zak Failla
St. Leonard-Port Republic, MD
Breaking News
$5 Heist: Maryland Man Punches DoorDash Driver At Calvert Cliffs State Park, Sheriff Says $5 Heist: Maryland Man Punches DoorDash Driver At Calvert Cliffs State Park, Sheriff Says $5 Heist: Maryland Man Punches DoorDash Driver At Calvert Cliffs State Park, Sheriff Says
$5 Heist: Maryland Man Punches DoorDash Driver At Calvert Cliffs State Park, Sheriff Says A Maryland man is facing robbery charges after deputies say he punched a DoorDash driver in the face and stole a $5 cash tip during a brazen daytime shakedown. Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Calvert Cliffs State Park in the 10500 block of Trueman Road in Lusby last week to probe a reported robbery, officials said. Investigators said Adam Joseph Slankard, 31, who has no fixed address, approached a DoorDash delivery driver who was parked in the 200 block of Town Square Drive. According to deputies, Slankard knocked on the driver’s window, punched the victim in th…

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by Zak Failla
Brandywine, MD
Your Community
Cash, Cars, And Corruption: Brandywine GSA Insider Cut Federal Bribe Deals Cash, Cars, And Corruption: Brandywine GSA Insider Cut Federal Bribe Deals Cash, Cars, And Corruption: Brandywine GSA Insider Cut Federal Bribe Deals
Cash, Cars, And Corruption: Brandywine GSA Insider Cut Federal Bribe Deals A former federal contracting official in Maryland has admitted he abused his position to steer government work in exchange for cash and personal favors, according to the US Department of Justice. Lennie Lamont Miller, 60, of Brandywine, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Jan. 29, to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official, prosecutors announced. Miller previously worked as a contracting officer’s representative for the General Services Administration, a federal agency that manages government properties. According to court documents, Miller conspired with construction comp…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Your Community
From Snow Day To Winter Break: Schools Closed, Delayed For Fifth Straight Day In Virginia From Snow Day To Winter Break: Schools Closed, Delayed For Fifth Straight Day In Virginia From Snow Day To Winter Break: Schools Closed, Delayed For Fifth Straight Day In Virginia
From Snow Day To Winter Break: Schools Closed, Delayed For Fifth Straight Day In Virginia One snowstorm later, students are officially on an unexpected winter break. Across Maryland and Virginia, some school districts are closed for a fifth consecutive day on Friday, while others are shifting to remote learning or delayed openings as the region continues thawing out from the weekend storm that rocked the area — and quietly turned a snow day into a full week off. For students, it’s a free vacation. For parents, it’s another day of rearranged schedules, burned PTO, and figuring out childcare on the fly. More snow is likely on the way. District leaders cited lingering ice, treach…

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by Zak Failla
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