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

Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Smoke Alarms, Sprinklers Save Family As Elkton Home Catches Fire Overnight Smoke Alarms, Sprinklers Save Family As Elkton Home Catches Fire Overnight Smoke Alarms, Sprinklers Save Family As Elkton Home Catches Fire Overnight
Smoke Alarms, Sprinklers Save Family As Elkton Home Catches Fire Overnight A Maryland family escaped a dangerous early-morning house fire after smoke alarms and residential sprinklers activated in time to get them out safely, fire officials said. The fire broke out at a single-family home on Weed Lane in Elkton at about 3:06 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Five people — four adults and one child — were inside the home when smoke alarms began sounding and heavy smoke was spotted coming from the garage, investigators said. The occupants immediately began evacuating and were able to rescue two of their three dogs befor…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Overflow Cut After Potomac Sewer Collapse, But Snow, Cold Still Slowing Full Fix (UPDATED) Overflow Cut After Potomac Sewer Collapse, But Snow, Cold Still Slowing Full Fix (UPDATED) Overflow Cut After Potomac Sewer Collapse, But Snow, Cold Still Slowing Full Fix (UPDATED)
Overflow Cut After Potomac Sewer Collapse, But Snow, Cold Still Slowing Full Fix (Updated) A massive sewage overflow along the Potomac River has been significantly reduced, but freezing temperatures and winter weather are still complicating efforts to fully contain the damage after a major sewer line collapse, officials said. DC Water crews and contractors have been operating emergency bypass pumps around the clock after a section of the 72-inch Potomac Interceptor failed near the Clara Barton Parkway and the C&O Canal National Historical Park, triggering a raw sewage spill one week ago, the agency said Monday, Jan. 26. Industrial pumps that went live late Saturday are now di…

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Mother Drops Infant From Window, Crawls Through Flames In Midnight Elkton Fire Maryland Mother Drops Infant From Window, Crawls Through Flames In Midnight Elkton Fire Maryland Mother Drops Infant From Window, Crawls Through Flames In Midnight Elkton Fire
Maryland Mother Drops Infant From Window, Crawls Through Flames In Midnight Elkton Fire A Maryland mother made an unthinkable decision after the clock struck midnight on Monday morning — dropping her 6-month-old son from a second-floor window to his father as fire tore through their home and they scrambled to escape. The dramatic rescue unfolded in Elkton on Monday, Jan. 26, just after midnight, when a fire broke out inside a townhome on Thyme Street, officials said. A mother and her infant son were asleep in an upstairs bedroom when the fire ignited, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Smoke and flames quickly overtook the staircase, preventing the child's…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Frederick Stabbing Turns Deadly: One Killed, Several Injured As Police Launch Homicide Probe Frederick Stabbing Turns Deadly: One Killed, Several Injured As Police Launch Homicide Probe Frederick Stabbing Turns Deadly: One Killed, Several Injured As Police Launch Homicide Probe
Frederick Stabbing Turns Deadly: One Killed, Several Injured As Police Launch Homicide Probe One person is dead, and several others were injured following a stabbing in Northern Maryland, police say. A homicide investigation has been launched in Frederick after multiple people were found injured during an incident that played out in the city on Monday morning. Officers from the Frederick Police Department were called shortly after 6 a.m. on Jan. 26 to the 1200 block of Danielle Drive to investigate a reported stabbing. They were met by multiple victims. According to police, upon arrival, they found several people in serious medical condition. Paramedics treated one of the vi…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Family Loses Everything In House Fire While Newborn Fights In NICU Maryland Family Loses Everything In House Fire While Newborn Fights In NICU Maryland Family Loses Everything In House Fire While Newborn Fights In NICU
Maryland Family Loses Everything In House Fire While Newborn Fights In Nicu Less than two weeks after welcoming a newborn into the world, Genna and Dylan Drew were already living inside every parent’s nightmare. Their baby girl, Vienna, born Tuesday, Jan. 13, remains in the NICU, fighting and growing stronger each day.  Her mother has been by her side, while her father has been home caring for their two other children — a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl — in Maryland, while preparing for the day their newest family member could finally come home. Then tragedy struck. Early Saturday morning, a house fire in Maryland destroyed the family’s home and everything …

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by Zak Failla
McLean, VA
Breaking News
From Snow Day To Big Save: Firefighters Rescue Child Stuck In Culvert In McLean From Snow Day To Big Save: Firefighters Rescue Child Stuck In Culvert In McLean From Snow Day To Big Save: Firefighters Rescue Child Stuck In Culvert In McLean
From Snow Day To Big Save: Firefighters Rescue Child Stuck In Culvert In McLean A snow day in Northern Virginia took a quick turn from fun to “uh oh” after a child got stuck in a culvert while playing, triggering a rescue response in McLean. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews were called in to make a curious rescue on Monday afternoon, when a kid playing out in the snow got stuck in a culvert, prompting an immediate response. The incident was reported around 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 26, in the 1900 block of MacArthur Drive in McLean. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue According to fire officials, the child had been playing in the snow when they became stuck above a culvert h…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Parents Expecting Baby Lose Home, Pets In 'Devastating' Apartment Fire Virginia Parents Expecting Baby Lose Home, Pets In 'Devastating' Apartment Fire Virginia Parents Expecting Baby Lose Home, Pets In 'Devastating' Apartment Fire
Virginia Parents Expecting Baby Lose Home, Pets In 'Devastating' Apartment Fire A Virginia family preparing to welcome a new baby this spring is starting over after a fast-moving apartment fire tore through their home, killing two pets and destroying nearly everything they owned. Dan and Cali Van Grouw, parents to a 4-year-old daughter and expecting their second child in March, lost their belongings in a structure fire at the Greenbriar Apartments in Fredericksburg, according to officials. Firefighters responded Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24 to the apartment complex, where crews from Fredericksburg Fire and Spotsylvania Fire and Rescue battled the blaze, officials said. …

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Toddler Fights For Life After Being Pulled Unconscious From Icy Pond (DEVELOPING) Virginia Toddler Fights For Life After Being Pulled Unconscious From Icy Pond (DEVELOPING) Virginia Toddler Fights For Life After Being Pulled Unconscious From Icy Pond (DEVELOPING)
Virginia Toddler Fights For Life After Being Pulled Unconscious From Icy Pond (Developing) A young boy is fighting for his life after being rescued from a pond in Virginia amid frigid conditions that ravaged the region. At around 1:40 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, officers from the Henrico County Police Department were called to assist with a water rescue that was reported in the Three Chopt Magisterial District. Officers responded to the 12300 block of Shore View Drive to investigate after a toddler was found and rescued from a nearby pond. Upon arrival, first responders found the child unconscious and receiving CPR from paramedics with the Henrico County Division of Fire. He …

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by Zak Failla
Lusby, MD
Breaking News
Lusby Teen Getaway Driver Guilty Of Robbery That Left Woman Shot In Back: State's Attorney Lusby Teen Getaway Driver Guilty Of Robbery That Left Woman Shot In Back: State's Attorney Lusby Teen Getaway Driver Guilty Of Robbery That Left Woman Shot In Back: State's Attorney
Lusby Teen Getaway Driver Guilty Of Robbery That Left Woman Shot In Back: State's Attorney A Maryland jury has convicted a Lusby teenager who helped plan a daytime robbery that ended with a woman shot in the back — a crime prosecutors said nearly turned fatal. Steven Anthony Gilner, 19, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and related charges following a five-day trial in Calvert County, according to the state's attorney's office. Deputies were called to the 700 block of Spruce Drive in Lusby around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2025, after a driver pulled up and told a passerby that she had just been shot on nearby Field Road in Lusby, according to the Calvert Cou…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Your Community
Snow Day, Take Two: Schools Closed Again In Loudoun County As Winter Weather Lingers Snow Day, Take Two: Schools Closed Again In Loudoun County As Winter Weather Lingers Snow Day, Take Two: Schools Closed Again In Loudoun County As Winter Weather Lingers
Snow Day, Take Two: Schools Closed Again In Loudoun County As Winter Weather Lingers For students already perfecting their snow-day routines, the winter break from the classroom isn’t over just yet. Students in some DC, Maryland, and Virginia schools will enjoy a rare two-day snow day, as several closures were announced early on Monday regarding classes on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Some will even have most of the rest of the week off as a precaution. Nearly a foot of powder covered the region over the weekend, with frigid temperatures following to create a veritable hellscape of snow and ice on area roadways as crews worked around the clock to safely clear the area. Among the sch…

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by Zak Failla
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