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

Fredericksburg, VA
On Your Side
Missed $1.7B By A Hair, Still Won $100K: Virginia Powerball Ticket Hits Big In Spotsy Missed $1.7B By A Hair, Still Won $100K: Virginia Powerball Ticket Hits Big In Spotsy Missed $1.7B By A Hair, Still Won $100K: Virginia Powerball Ticket Hits Big In Spotsy
Missed $1.7B By A Hair, Still Won $100K: Virginia Powerball Ticket Hits Big In Spotsy He didn’t hit the $1.7 billion jackpot in Virginia, but Jeffrey Dimond still walked away with a holiday surprise most people would happily unwrap. The Spotsylvania County man won $100,000 in the Wednesday, Dec. 24 Powerball drawing after coming within one number of the massive 10-figure jackpot, Lottery officials said. Dimond matched four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball number in the drawing, narrowly missing the big prize. That combination normally pays $50,000, but Dimond added the Power Play option for an extra dollar, which doubled the prize to $100,000, officials said. A…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
A Beary Good Ending: Smithsonian Zoo Welcomes First Sloth Bear Cubs Since 2014 (PHOTOS) A Beary Good Ending: Smithsonian Zoo Welcomes First Sloth Bear Cubs Since 2014 (PHOTOS) A Beary Good Ending: Smithsonian Zoo Welcomes First Sloth Bear Cubs Since 2014 (PHOTOS)
A Beary Good Ending: Smithsonian Zoo Welcomes First Sloth Bear Cubs Since 2014 (Photos) Talk about ending the year on a high note. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo closed out 2025 with a rare double dose of good news, welcoming two sloth bear cubs for the first time in more than a decade. Two cubs were born to 6-year-old first-time mother Molly at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, last month. The births are especially notable because they mark the Zoo’s first sloth bear cubs since 2014, a milestone for a species considered vulnerable to extinction. “The birth of two sloth bear cubs at Smithsonian’s National Zoo is a significant …

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Baltimore Ravens Fire John Harbaugh After Missing Playoffs In Disappointing 2025 Season Baltimore Ravens Fire John Harbaugh After Missing Playoffs In Disappointing 2025 Season Baltimore Ravens Fire John Harbaugh After Missing Playoffs In Disappointing 2025 Season
Baltimore Ravens Fire John Harbaugh After Missing Playoffs In Disappointing 2025 Season Days after the Baltimore Ravens were bested for the AFC North by the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach John Harbaugh is out, according to multiple reports. Harbaugh, 63, who has been at the helm in Baltimore for 18 seasons, has been fired, despite an 180-113 overall record, reaching the playoffs 12 times, playing in four AFC title games and winning Super Bowl XLVII over brother Jim Harbaugh in New Orleans. The move came after quarterback Lamar Jackson led a stirring fourth-quarter drive to put his team in position to win the division — only for rookie Tyler Loop to miss a 44-yard field goal t…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
School Bus Involved In Montgomery County Crash, Police Say (DEVELOPING) School Bus Involved In Montgomery County Crash, Police Say (DEVELOPING) School Bus Involved In Montgomery County Crash, Police Say (DEVELOPING)
School Bus Involved In Montgomery County Crash, Police Say (Developing) A school bus and a vehicle were involved in a collision in Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, police said. Officers were dispatched to the 8400 block of 11th Avenue at about 4:09 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, after reports of a crash involving a school bus and another vehicle, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Police said no injuries were reported in the collision. It is unclear if there were children on board at the time of the crash. The circumstances surrounding the crash were not immediately released, and officials said additional information will be provided as it become…

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by Zak Failla
Chesapeake City, MD
Breaking News
Justice Delayed: Man Sentenced Decades After Abusing Maryland Child While His Wife Was Tutoring Justice Delayed: Man Sentenced Decades After Abusing Maryland Child While His Wife Was Tutoring Justice Delayed: Man Sentenced Decades After Abusing Maryland Child While His Wife Was Tutoring
Justice Delayed: Man Sentenced Decades After Abusing Maryland Child While His Wife Was Tutoring A Virginia man who served in the military and moved across the country was sentenced decades after sexually abusing a 7-year-old child in Maryland, prosecutors said. Cecil John Dunlap, 79, of Chesapeake, was sentenced for sexually assaulting a child in 1981 and 1982 while living in the Tall Timbers and Valley Lee area in Southern Maryland, according to the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said the abuse occurred during a tutoring session at Dunlap’s home on what is now known as Blake Creek Road, when the child accompanied her brother to be tutored by Dunlap’s wife, a…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Breaking News
They Asked For 30 Days: $350K Goal Hit In 24 Hours After I-95 Tragedy In Howard County They Asked For 30 Days: $350K Goal Hit In 24 Hours After I-95 Tragedy In Howard County They Asked For 30 Days: $350K Goal Hit In 24 Hours After I-95 Tragedy In Howard County
They Asked For 30 Days: $350K Goal Hit In 24 Hours After I-95 Tragedy In Howard County A North Carolina family asked for 30 days to raise $350,000 for loved ones killed in a wrong-way crash on I-95 in Maryland. It took less than 30 hours. At around 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4, troopers from the Maryland State Police Barracks in Waterloo were called to a southbound stretch of the interstate near Maryland 216 to investigate a reported wrong-way crash in Howard County. According to police, North Carolina natives Venkata Asha Khanna Appana, 48, and Krishna Kotikalapudi, 49, both of Marvin, were killed during the deadly head-on crash. Appana was pronounced dead at the scene…

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by Zak Failla
Elkridge, MD
Obituaries
Purple, Puppies, A Big Smile: Harford County Family Remembers 11-Year-Old With Heavy Hearts Purple, Puppies, A Big Smile: Harford County Family Remembers 11-Year-Old With Heavy Hearts Purple, Puppies, A Big Smile: Harford County Family Remembers 11-Year-Old With Heavy Hearts
Purple, Puppies, A Big Smile: Harford County Family Remembers 11-Year-Old With Heavy Hearts An 11-year-old girl who was tragically killed just before the new year in a Maryland crash is now being remembered for her bright smile, gentle heart, and the joy she brought to everyone around her. Delanie Kessler was killed Sunday, Dec. 28, after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a roadway in Belcamp, according to Maryland State Police. She was flown by helicopter to a local trauma center, where she later died from her injuries. Troopers said the crash happened shortly after 5 p.m. at northbound Riverside Parkway (MD 543) and Church Creek Road. A Jeep Grand Cherokee was traveling…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
On Your Side
Explosive Sterling Bank Threat Suspect Shot In Confrontation At Walmart Dies: Sheriff (UPDATED) Explosive Sterling Bank Threat Suspect Shot In Confrontation At Walmart Dies: Sheriff (UPDATED) Explosive Sterling Bank Threat Suspect Shot In Confrontation At Walmart Dies: Sheriff (UPDATED)
Explosive Sterling Bank Threat Suspect Shot In Confrontation At Walmart Dies: Sheriff (Updated) The man who threatened to rob a Virginia bank branch with explosives on Monday who was shot during an officer-involved shooting a day later has died, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Deputies and special agents from the FBI tracked down Connor Peltzer, 30, in the parking lot of the Leesburg Walmart shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and determined he had been involved in the attempted Bank of America robbery on Monday, Jan. 5.  Investigators said that as deputies approached the vehicle in the parking lot, the suspect got out with a weapon. Deputies fired at Pelt…

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Random Shooting Spree Rocks Upper Marlboro, Leaves One Dead And Two Seriously Injured: Police Random Shooting Spree Rocks Upper Marlboro, Leaves One Dead And Two Seriously Injured: Police Random Shooting Spree Rocks Upper Marlboro, Leaves One Dead And Two Seriously Injured: Police
Random Shooting Spree Rocks Upper Marlboro, Leaves One Dead And Two Seriously Injured: Police A man who allegedly gunned down a 65-year-old man and left two others seriously injured during a shooting spree in Southern Maryland over the weekend is behind bars, authorities confirmed. Damonte Williams, 26, was quickly apprehended by investigators from the Prince George's County Police Department in connection with the murder of 65-year-old Joseph Holt III and multiple shootings in Upper Marlboro on Sunday.  Officers were called to the Watkins Park Plaza area at approximately 7:20 a.m. in Upper Marlboro on Jan. 4, for a report of an unresponsive man, police said. Once on scene, off…

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by Zak Failla
Potomac, MD
Obituaries
Winston Churchill HS Senior Dies On Family Vacation After Tragic Fishing Accident In Mexico Winston Churchill HS Senior Dies On Family Vacation After Tragic Fishing Accident In Mexico Winston Churchill HS Senior Dies On Family Vacation After Tragic Fishing Accident In Mexico
Winston Churchill HS Senior Dies On Family Vacation After Tragic Fishing Accident In Mexico A high school senior from Virginia was killed in a fishing accident while traveling in Mexico over winter break, school officials confirmed. Levi Shum, who attends Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, was an "avid and experienced fisherman," Principal John Taylor said Monday, Jan. 5. “Levi was a wonderful young man, and will be remembered fondly by his peers and this community.”  "It is true that the death of anyone close to us, especially a young person, can be emotionally challenging," he continued. "Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with Levi’s family and friends du…

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by Zak Failla
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