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

Crofton, MD

Your Community

Crofton Elementary School Alarm Cleared After ‘Stranger’ Turns Out To Be Grandpa, Police Say What first appeared to be a frightening child-luring incident near a Maryland elementary school has now been cleared, with police confirming there was never a threat to students. Police in Anne Arundel said officers and detectives followed up on a report involving students waiting for a school bus near Crofton Elementary School on Monday, Jan. 12, and quickly determined that the incident was a mere misunderstanding. According to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, investigators located the individual involved and confirmed that “there was no threat to the children.” Police said the …

by Zak Failla

01/13/2026

Alexandria, VA

Your Community

Virginia Animal Rescuer Who Saved Countless Lives Now Being Honored As She Enters Hospice Loni Willey never wanted the spotlight — but as word spreads across Virginia that the woman who helped save more than 10,000 animals is now in hospice care, the community she built is making sure she knows just how much she mattered. For the past decade, Willey has been a constant, steady presence in animal rescue circles across the state, serving as president of Happy Tails Animal Rescue of Washington County while also working tirelessly with House of Puddles and Basset Rescue of Old Dominion. To volunteers, partner rescues, veterinarians, and fosters, she wasn’t just a leader — she …

by Zak Failla

01/13/2026

National Interest

Former NY Giants Player Missing For 7 Months After Virginia Beach Trip The family of former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal is seeking the public's assistance seven months after he was reported missing in Virginia. Beal, 29, was last seen on July 13, 2025, in Virginia Beach by his girlfriend after dropping her off at a family member's house, according to officials. He borrowed his girlfriend's vehicle that day and was supposed to head to work, but he instead drove south to Virginia. She last spoke to him over the phone that day. Beal did not return home the next day. He has not been heard from since. "Samuel did not bring anything with him aside from…

by Zak Failla

01/13/2026

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Jacket Sale Turns Deadly In Gaithersburg: Teen Gunned Down, Two Charged With Murder Two suspects are behind bars days after 18-year-old Taeyon Malachi Prather was found shot to death in a Maryland parking lot, police say. Wisdom Da-Silva Baptista, 16, of Gaithersburg, and Montgomery Village resident Kevin Jesus Perez Fierro, 20, have both been charged in connection with the murder of Prather last week. The body of a man was discovered in a parking lot in the 23600 block of Rolling Fork Way in Gaithersburg on Friday, Jan. 2, at approximately 7:21 p.m., according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services were dispatched …

by Zak Failla

01/13/2026

Leonardtown-California, MD

Breaking News

California Gunpoint Robbery Unravels Further As Fourth Suspect Is Charged: Sheriff A fourth person is facing charges after three men were arrested following a violent armed robbery that was reported in Southern Maryland over the weekend. Deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were called shortly after 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, to the 44000 block of Redwood Lane, where there was a reported armed robbery. Upon arrival, investigators spoke with the victim, who reported a person known to him had pointed a handgun at him and, along with a second man, had taken cash and an expensive jacket before leaving the area in a green sedan. According to investigators…

by Zak Failla

01/13/2026

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

DC Man Killed Former Partner After Phone Argument While Child Was Inside Apartment: DOJ A man who murdered his former partner while his child was inside their DC apartment copped to the crime on Monday, federal authorities announced. Pernell Sims, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 12 to the shooting death of his prior romantic partner, Tyshida Williams, in Southwest DC in July 2023. According to the government’s evidence, Sims and Williams were in a romantic relationship on July 30, 2023, when the two got into an argument about her phone that rapidly escalated. Sims and Williams then went to the lobby and parking garage area of Sims’ apartment building and argued for more…

by Zak Failla

01/12/2026

Glen Burnie, MD

Your Community

Ex-Congressional Employee From Glen Burnie Turned House Cell Phones Into Pawn Shop Cash: Feds A former congressional employee from Maryland is accused of abusing his access on Capitol Hill to steal hundreds of government-issued cell phones — then quietly funneling them into a local pawn shop, prosecutors said. Christopher Southerland, 43, of Glen Burnie, was arrested Friday after a federal indictment was unsealed in District Court in Washington, DC, charging him with stealing about 240 cell phones from the US House of Representatives, according to federal officials. Prosecutors said the phones were valued at more than $150,000. Southerland worked as a system administrator for the H…

by Zak Failla

01/12/2026

Fairfax, VA

Breaking News

Suspected Teen Mushroom, Marijuana Dealers Busted In Fairfax County Traffic Stop: Police What started as a simple traffic stop for a loud exhaust in Virginia landed three teens behind bars and took drugs off the street, police say. Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department made a major drug and weapon bust, resulting in the arrest of three suspects on a host of charges and a massive seizure. Shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, officers on patrol in the area of Russell Road and Norwood Drive in Woodlawn stopped 19-year-old Alexandria resident Michael Owusu for a loud, modified exhaust. Then things took a turn. According to police, while speaking with Owusu an…

by Zak Failla

01/12/2026

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Viral Hate Crime Video Sparks New Alexandria Police Policy After Grocery Store Attack After video surfaced of a Christmas Day hate crime at a Virginia grocery store, the Alexandria Police Department announced a new hate crime and bias-incident policy. The agency announced the new policy on Monday, Jan. 12, saying it was developed over the past year as part of an effort to protect human and civil rights and ensure consistent handling of bias-related cases. The announcement followed the arrest of a Maryland woman accused of berating a man in an incident caught on camera that made the rounds online. Police said the policy formalizes standards for identifying, documenting, and …

by Zak Failla

01/12/2026

Aldie, VA

Breaking News

Virginia State Police Superintendent Matthew Hanley Retires After 32 Years After more than three decades in law enforcement, Virginia State Police Superintendent Colonel Matthew D. Hanley is stepping away from the badge. Hanley announced his retirement after 32 years of service, calling it “an honor to serve this great Commonwealth,” in a statement released from Richmond. “It has been an honor to serve this great Commonwealth as a longstanding member of the Virginia State Police,” Hanley said. “I am proud of the incredible work the agency has accomplished and am grateful for the commitment that our sworn and professional staff provide daily. Virginia is in …

by Zak Failla

01/12/2026

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