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
Breaking News
New Year’s Chaos: Fredericksburg Teen Jailed After Back-To-Back DUI Crashes Near I-95: Police New Year’s Chaos: Fredericksburg Teen Jailed After Back-To-Back DUI Crashes Near I-95: Police New Year’s Chaos: Fredericksburg Teen Jailed After Back-To-Back DUI Crashes Near I-95: Police
New Year’s Chaos: Fredericksburg Teen Jailed After Back-To-Back DUI Crashes Near I-95: Police A New Year’s celebration ended in chaos after a teen driver allegedly caused two crashes within minutes near I-95 before attempting to run away from the scene. Officers responded to the area of Plank Road and I-95 in Fredericksburg during the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 1, after a white Subaru was struck at a red light by a red Nissan pickup, moments before the same truck crashed into a tractor-trailer that was making a left turn onto the interstate, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department. Witnesses reported seeing a man and woman run from the red Nissan as officer…

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by Zak Failla
Indian Head-Nanjemoy, MD
Breaking News
Dog Killed, Home Destroyed In Daytime Marbury Fire Displacing Family Of Six Dog Killed, Home Destroyed In Daytime Marbury Fire Displacing Family Of Six Dog Killed, Home Destroyed In Daytime Marbury Fire Displacing Family Of Six
Dog Killed, Home Destroyed In Daytime Marbury Fire Displacing Family Of Six A family's home was destroyed and a dog was killed after a daytime house fire ripped through a Maryland home on Monday afternoon, fire officials said. The fire broke out at shortly before 2 p.m. on Jan. 5 at a home in the 4200 block of Rufus Madeline Place in Marbury, where crews found a single-family dwelling fully involved, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. One dog that was inside the home died as a result of the fire, officials confirmed. The house was deemed a total loss, with an estimated $125,000 in structural damage and another $50,000 in contents destroyed. The homeown…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Fugitive’s Ankle-Monitor Escape Ends In Lexington Park Crash, Foot Chase, Sheriff Says Maryland Fugitive’s Ankle-Monitor Escape Ends In Lexington Park Crash, Foot Chase, Sheriff Says Maryland Fugitive’s Ankle-Monitor Escape Ends In Lexington Park Crash, Foot Chase, Sheriff Says
Maryland Fugitive’s Ankle-Monitor Escape Ends In Lexington Park Crash, Foot Chase, Sheriff Says Osirus Holmes' escape came to a screeching halt in Maryland. The Lexington Park fugitive is back behind bars after cutting off his ankle monitor, fleeing from deputies, and winding up in handcuffs following a crash, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. On Monday, Jan. 5, a deputy on patrol in Lexington Park spotted a gray Ford Fusion fail to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Fox Ridge Road and Spring Valley Road. The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled, officials said. The deputy did not pursue, but while speeding away, the Ford was st…

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by Zak Failla
Parkville-Carney, MD
Breaking News
First Fatal Fire Of 2026 Reported After Deadly Parkville Basement Blaze First Fatal Fire Of 2026 Reported After Deadly Parkville Basement Blaze First Fatal Fire Of 2026 Reported After Deadly Parkville Basement Blaze
First Fatal Fire Of 2026 Reported After Deadly Parkville Basement Blaze Baltimore County reported its first fire-related fatality of 2026 after a woman pulled from a burning basement died, authorities announced. Julia Ann Anderson, 76, was found in cardiac arrest shortly after 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4, inside a home in the 1700 block of Weston Avenue in Parkville, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. Upon arrival, a resident of the home advised firefighters that a tenant was still in the basement, where crews found Anderson, who was rushed to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Anderson later died from her injuries.  The fire marks the…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
On Your Side
Explosives Threat Turns Sterling Bank Robbery Attempt Into Police Investigation: Sheriff Explosives Threat Turns Sterling Bank Robbery Attempt Into Police Investigation: Sheriff Explosives Threat Turns Sterling Bank Robbery Attempt Into Police Investigation: Sheriff
Explosives Threat Turns Sterling Bank Robbery Attempt Into Police Investigation: Sheriff A Bank of America branch in Virginia was temporarily shut down on Monday after a suspect threatened to use explosives to level the building during an attempted robbery. Deputies with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office responded at around 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 5 to the 45000 block of Dulles Crossing Plaza in Sterling, after receiving reports of an attempted bank robbery involving an explosives threat, according to the sheriff’s office. The threat triggered an immediate police response, with deputies conducting a thorough search of the bank and the surrounding area amid concerns that an explosiv…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
The Reviews Are In — And Baltimore’s Josh Charles Is Fox’s 'Best Medicine' The Reviews Are In — And Baltimore’s Josh Charles Is Fox’s 'Best Medicine' The Reviews Are In — And Baltimore’s Josh Charles Is Fox’s 'Best Medicine'
The Reviews Are In — And Baltimore’s Josh Charles Is Fox’s 'Best Medicine' The reviews are in for Fox’s Best Medicine, and while critics are divided on the show, they agree on one thing: Maryland native Josh Charles is the reason it works. Charles, a Baltimore native with deep ties to the city, stars as Dr. Martin Best, a brilliant but abrasive surgeon who leaves a high-powered career behind to practice medicine in a small East Coast fishing village.  The series is an American remake of the British hit Doc Martin and debuted with a special preview following NFL coverage on Sunday, Jan. 4, before officially launching in its regular Tuesday night slot on Jan. 6…

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by Zak Failla
Suitland, MD
On Your Side
Lightning Strikes Twice: PG County Man Claims Second Massive Lottery Prize In Eight Years Lightning Strikes Twice: PG County Man Claims Second Massive Lottery Prize In Eight Years Lightning Strikes Twice: PG County Man Claims Second Massive Lottery Prize In Eight Years
Lightning Strikes Twice: PG County Man Claims Second Massive Lottery Prize In Eight Years Some people dream about winning the lottery once. A Prince George’s County man just did it again. Eight years after cashing in a $250,000 scratch-off, the federal employee known as “The $50,000 Man” made a familiar trip back to Maryland Lottery headquarters to start the new year $50,000 richer, Maryland Lottery officials announced. The repeat winner claimed a third-tier Powerball prize from the Oct. 18 drawing after matching four white balls and the Powerball number, according to the Lottery. “I would have been a little happier if I had matched one more number, but this is still a great pr…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Pickup Game Gone Wrong? Teen Knocked Unconscious At Ida Lee Rec Center Basketball Game Pickup Game Gone Wrong? Teen Knocked Unconscious At Ida Lee Rec Center Basketball Game Pickup Game Gone Wrong? Teen Knocked Unconscious At Ida Lee Rec Center Basketball Game
Pickup Game Gone Wrong? Teen Knocked Unconscious At Ida Lee Rec Center Basketball Game A pickup basketball game turned violent in Virginia — and now a shaken community is rallying behind a teen athlete left seriously hurt. Here’s what we know. An evening pickup basketball game at a Leesburg rec center was supposed to be just that — casual hoops, nothing more. Instead, it ended with a teenager unconscious, rushed to the hospital, and facing surgery, as neighbors now step up to help his family pick up the pieces. Oliver Brodie was playing basketball at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center in Leesburg when a grown man became upset during the game and attacked him from behind, acco…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
ICE Arrests Gang-Linked El Salvadoran With Final Deportation Order In Baltimore: Feds ICE Arrests Gang-Linked El Salvadoran With Final Deportation Order In Baltimore: Feds ICE Arrests Gang-Linked El Salvadoran With Final Deportation Order In Baltimore: Feds
ICE Arrests Gang-Linked El Salvadoran With Final Deportation Order In Baltimore: Feds Federal immigration agents arrested a gang-linked El Salvadoran national with a violent criminal history in Baltimore, officials announced. ICE Baltimore officers arrested Leonel Alexander Velasquez-Velasquez, described as a “criminal illegal alien from El Salvador,” the agency said on Monday, Jan. 5. According to ICE, Velasquez-Velasquez was previously convicted of first-degree assault and participation in criminal gang activity. “He has a final order of removal and will remain in ICE custody,” ICE Baltimore said. The arrest was carried out by Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Breaking News
Wrong-Way DUI Driver Kills Two On I-95 In Laurel; Passengers Airlifted To Hospital: MSP Wrong-Way DUI Driver Kills Two On I-95 In Laurel; Passengers Airlifted To Hospital: MSP Wrong-Way DUI Driver Kills Two On I-95 In Laurel; Passengers Airlifted To Hospital: MSP
Wrong-Way DUI Driver Kills Two On I-95 In Laurel; Passengers Airlifted To Hospital: MSP An impaired driver who caused a fatal wrong-way crash on I-95 that sent two others to the hospital is being held behind bars in Maryland, state police announced. Baltimore City resident Michael Coupet, 34, was arrested and charged following a double-fatal crash that was reported in Howard County early on Sunday morning. At around 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 4, troopers from the Maryland State Police Barrack in Waterloo were called to a southbound stretch of the interstate near Maryland 216 to investigate a reported wrong-way crash. According to police, North Carolina natives Venkata Asha Khanna…

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by Zak Failla
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