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

Lanham-Seabrook, MD
Breaking News
Deadly I-495 DUI Crash: Lanham Woman Sentenced To Prison In Beltway Tragedy In Silver Spring Deadly I-495 DUI Crash: Lanham Woman Sentenced To Prison In Beltway Tragedy In Silver Spring Deadly I-495 DUI Crash: Lanham Woman Sentenced To Prison In Beltway Tragedy In Silver Spring
Deadly I-495 DUI Crash: Lanham Woman Sentenced To Prison In Beltway Tragedy In Silver Spring A Lanham woman who drove drunk and triggered a violent chain-reaction crash on the Capital Beltway that killed a 30-year-old passenger will serve three years in prison. Maria Luisa Alvarez, 20, was sentenced in Montgomery County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle in the early-morning crash on I-495 last summer. The deadly collision happened at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, along the inner loop of I-495 at Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. Alvarez was driving a 2005 Honda Accord while taking the ramp from southbound Georgia Avenue when s…

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by Zak Failla
Ashburn, VA
Breaking News
Woman Struck, Killed By School Vehicle Near Stone Bridge High School: Loudoun Sheriff Woman Struck, Killed By School Vehicle Near Stone Bridge High School: Loudoun Sheriff Woman Struck, Killed By School Vehicle Near Stone Bridge High School: Loudoun Sheriff
Woman Struck, Killed By School Vehicle Near Stone Bridge High School: Loudoun Sheriff A 20-year-old woman was killed after being struck by a Loudoun County Public Schools vehicle near Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn. First responders were called shortly after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to the intersection of Claiborne Parkway and Portsmouth Boulevard, where there was a crash involving a pedestrian. Upon arrival, crews found Ashburn resident Calina Yu, 20, who was pronounced dead at the scene. According to investigators, the driver is an LCPS employee and was driving a maintenance vehicle at the time Yu was struck. They remained at the scene to assist detectives…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Drug Dealer Who Masked Up To Rob Friend, Executed Would-Be Thief Learns Prison Fate Virginia Drug Dealer Who Masked Up To Rob Friend, Executed Would-Be Thief Learns Prison Fate Virginia Drug Dealer Who Masked Up To Rob Friend, Executed Would-Be Thief Learns Prison Fate
Virginia Drug Dealer Who Masked Up To Rob Friend, Executed Would-Be Thief Learns Prison Fate A Virginia drug dealer who masked up to rob his former roommate, then stood over a would-be robber and fired a fatal shot to the head as the man lay dying on the floor, will spend more than a decade in federal prison. The violent run of a Roanoke drug dealer came to a close this week after a federal judge handed down a 165-month prison sentence tied to a masked robbery and a deadly shooting that unfolded months later. Damon Tyler Mills, 29, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors said Mills had been…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Rabies-Positive Groundhog Found Near Frederick Intersection, Health Officials Say Rabies-Positive Groundhog Found Near Frederick Intersection, Health Officials Say Rabies-Positive Groundhog Found Near Frederick Intersection, Health Officials Say
Rabies-Positive Groundhog Found Near Frederick Intersection, Health Officials Say A groundhog found near a busy Maryland roadway has tested positive for rabies, triggering a public health alert for anyone who may have come into contact with the animal. The Frederick County Health Department said it was notified on Tuesday, Jan. 13, that the groundhog recovered near the intersection of West Patrick Street and McCain Drive tested positive for the rabies virus, according to the department. The animal was discovered on Friday, Jan. 9, at about 8:50 p.m., after a community member believed it had been struck by a vehicle and moved it out of the roadway. Frederick County Anima…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
73-Year-Old Silver Spring Woman Killed Crossing Road; Hit-And-Run Driver At Large: Police 73-Year-Old Silver Spring Woman Killed Crossing Road; Hit-And-Run Driver At Large: Police 73-Year-Old Silver Spring Woman Killed Crossing Road; Hit-And-Run Driver At Large: Police
73-Year-Old Silver Spring Woman Killed Crossing Road; Hit-And-Run Driver At Large: Police A 73-year-old Maryland woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the road; now, detectives are seeking the public's help to find a driver involved. Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police Collision Reconstruction Unit said Florence L. Chumbow, 73, of Silver Spring, was fatally struck while crossing Columbia Pike near Fairland Road shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12. Third District officers and Fire Rescue personnel responded to southbound Columbia Pike (Route 29) and Fairland Road after reports of a pedestrian collision, where Chumbow was found dead …

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
‘Home Alone’ Actor From Maryland Charged In California Prostitution Case ‘Home Alone’ Actor From Maryland Charged In California Prostitution Case ‘Home Alone’ Actor From Maryland Charged In California Prostitution Case
‘Home Alone’ Actor From Maryland Charged In California Prostitution Case Maryland's own Daniel Stern, best known for his role in "Home Alone," is facing charges in California for allegedly soliciting prostitution, according to multiple reports. The Bethesda native was charged with a misdemeanor count of soliciting prostitution in Ventura County, court documents show. The alleged offense took place on Dec. 10. Stern, 68, was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 13. According to reports, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alum was cited at a motel in Camarillo and later released. He was not arrested or taken into custody. If convicted in California, sol…

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by Zak Failla
Columbia, MD
Breaking News
No Charges In Fatal Columbia Police Shooting After Man Charged Officer With Spear No Charges In Fatal Columbia Police Shooting After Man Charged Officer With Spear No Charges In Fatal Columbia Police Shooting After Man Charged Officer With Spear
No Charges In Fatal Columbia Police Shooting After Man Charged Officer With Spear No criminal charges will be filed in the fatal police-involved shooting of a spear-wielding man who charged at police last summer, the Maryland Attorney General's Office announced. Micah Booker, 23, of Columbia, was armed with a large spear when he was fatally shot by an officer in Howard County after allegedly stabbing a family member and refusing to drop the weapon, investigators say. The shooting was reported shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2025, on Wilbur Court. On Tuesday, Jan. 13, AG Anthony Brown said that no charges will be filed after an investigation by the Independen…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Dream Home Turns to Nightmare After ICE Detains Virginia Father of Three Dream Home Turns to Nightmare After ICE Detains Virginia Father of Three Dream Home Turns to Nightmare After ICE Detains Virginia Father of Three
Dream Home Turns to Nightmare After ICE Detains Virginia Father of Three What started as a dream home turned into a house of horrors for a Virginia family after ICE upended their lives. Jean Piere Daza and his wife, Jhosly, worked for years to fulfill their dream of buying a home for their three children, but that dream was short-lived, according to their loved ones. While preparing the home for the holidays, an alarm accidentally went off, triggering a series of events that ended with Daza being detained. "Although the police confirmed he was the homeowner, the next day he was unexpectedly detained and later turned over to ICE," Flavia Rivas Plata said, n…

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by Zak Failla
Centreville, VA
Your Community
FCPS Investigation Finds No Evidence Centreville Staff Facilitated Student Abortion FCPS Investigation Finds No Evidence Centreville Staff Facilitated Student Abortion FCPS Investigation Finds No Evidence Centreville Staff Facilitated Student Abortion
Fcps Investigation Finds No Evidence Centreville Staff Facilitated Student Abortion An internal investigation has cleared Fairfax County Public Schools staff after allegations that a Centreville High School social worker secretly helped a student obtain an abortion without parental consent sparked national attention last year. Fairfax County Public Schools said the completed review found no credible evidence of wrongdoing, concluding that the claims were based on statements that were misinterpreted, mistranslated, taken out of context, or knowingly fabricated. The findings were submitted to the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the Virginia Stat…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Your Community
Shoe Thrown At Student In School Hallway Leads To Charges Against Rippon MS Teacher, Police Say Shoe Thrown At Student In School Hallway Leads To Charges Against Rippon MS Teacher, Police Say Shoe Thrown At Student In School Hallway Leads To Charges Against Rippon MS Teacher, Police Say
Shoe Thrown At Student In School Hallway Leads To Charges Against Rippon MS Teacher, Police Say Honestly, who throws a shoe?  A Virginia teacher was charged this week after allegedly throwing a shoe at a student during a conversation last month, police say. An investigation was launched last month by the Prince William County Police Department following an assault involving a teacher and student at Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge on Dec. 17, 2025. According to police, the teacher, Triangle resident Delia Pruitte, 37, was speaking to an 11-year-old boy in the hallway when, at one point, she removed her shoe and threw it at a kid, striking him in the hand. Minor injuries were …

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by Zak Failla
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