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

Abingdon, MD

Breaking News

Maryland Neighbors Rush In, Save Seniors As Garage Fire Engulfs Abingdon Home Two seniors were pulled to safety by quick-thinking neighbors after a fast-moving garage fire erupted at their Maryland home on Saturday afternoon, officials said. The accidental house fire broke out around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, inside a two-story single-family residence in the 200 block of Suitland Place in Abingdon, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office. Investigators said neighbors first noticed light smoke coming from the home’s garage, which quickly intensified. A neighbor and another resident rushed to the house, knocked on the door, and alerted the occupants b…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Hagerstown, MD

Breaking News

Closure In Court After Maryland Man Vanished Following Deadly Double Hagerstown Shooting Authorities will not have to look far to find Brian Christopher Francis following his role in a Maryland murder. Francis, 42, has been sentenced to 100 years behind bars after spending more than a month on the run following a fatal double shooting in Hagerstown, the Washington County State's Attorney's Office announced on Monday, Dec. 22. Last year, the Hagerstown Police Department announced that Francis was apprehended in Morrisville, North Carolina, and later brought back to Maryland in connection with the deadly shooting in an apartment. Also known as "Fox," or "Silk," Francis was charg…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Domestic Dispute Ends In Suicide After Armed Standoff With Deputies In Virginia, Sheriff Says A domestic dispute ended in a suicide after deputies confronted an armed man in Virginia, authorities said. Deputies were called to a local fire department station in Warrenton around 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21, after a woman reported fleeing her home following a domestic argument, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. The woman told deputies her husband struck her during the argument and threatened her with a gun, prompting her to run to the fire station for safety, officials said. A deputy was then sent to the home on Gray Fox Drive in Bealeton to determine whether the ma…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Germantown, MD

Breaking News

Church Teacher Who Sexually Abused Four Children In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate A former teacher at a Maryland church who admitted to sexually abusing minors will spend decades behind bars, authorities announced on Monday. Germantown resident Ervin Alfaro-Lopez, 34, pleaded guilty in February to one count of sex abuse of a minor and three counts of third-degree sex offense following his arrest last year. On Monday, Dec. 22, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced that Alfaro-Lopez was sentenced to 55 years in prison, with 20 years to serve. In May of 2023, a victim reported being sexually assaulted by Alfaro-Lopez when he was her teacher at…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Sterling, VA

Breaking News

Loudoun County Inmate Graduates With First-Of-Its-Kind High School Diploma Behind Bars Graduation day came to an unexpected place in Virginia this week, as an inmate at the Adult Detention Center made history by earning a high school diploma through Loudoun County Public Schools. The milestone unfolded at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Leesburg, where officials announced that an incarcerated student became the first person ever at the facility to earn a Loudoun County high school diploma, according to the sheriff's office. The diploma was issued through Heritage High School, marking a first-of-its-kind achievement in the educational partnership between the Sheri…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Hagerstown, MD

Breaking News

Death Behind Bars: Inmate Found Dead Inside Maryland Prison, Homicide Unit Investigates An inmate was found dead inside a maximum-security Maryland prison. State police detectives are now investigating what happened behind the walls. An investigation is underway after a state prison inmate was found dead inside the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, State Police said on Monday, Dec. 22. Jordan Polston, 32, was declared dead by emergency medical services personnel at the prison after he was found unresponsive in a cell at the maximum-security facility in Allegany County early Sunday morning, officials said. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was contacte…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

Frigid River Rescue: Man Saved From Anacostia River Under Sousa Bridge In DC (Watch) New photos and video show a tense water rescue unfolding in the icy Anacostia River as DC firefighters pulled a man from the frigid water beneath the Sousa Bridge. The rescue happened during the afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 21, along the Anacostia River in Southeast DC, where DC Fire and EMS crews responded to reports of a man in the water, according to the department. “Water rescue Anacostia River beneath Sousa Bridge. Man in the water,” DC Fire and EMS said in a post. “Rescue swimmers have retrieved the victim, who will be brought to shore for medical treatment.” Update water rescue Anac…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Reston, VA

Breaking News

'Blood On Their Hands': DHS Blasts Fairfax Leaders After Man Freed Day Before Fatal Shooting A man now in custody following a fatal shooting inside a Virginia home had been released from jail just one day earlier, Fairfax County Police confirmed. Now, federal authorities are sounding some alarms. The deadly shooting happened shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, inside a residence in the 12300 block of Fan Shell Court in Reston, where officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later announced that a gunman had been taken into custody and that a handgun had been recovered as part of the investig…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Waldorf, MD

Breaking News

Forked Up: Jury Convicts Charles County Man In Bizarre Home Depot Murder It was Mr. Brown, at a Home Depot in Charles County, with a forklift — and a Maryland jury just called it murder. On July 2, 2023, members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office were called to investigate a reported burglary in progress at Lowe's in Waldorf, where they spoke with employees and managers working the overnight shift who reported hearing loud banging noises. Officers also observed damage to the store’s roll-up doors and security gates. According to prosecutors, officers were then called to a nearby Home Depot, where there were reports from employees about hearing a loud s…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

Arlington, VA

Your Community

Gunfire Rips Through DC High School During Class — Two Teens Admit Opening Fire, Feds Say Gunfire erupted during the school day, and bullets tore into classrooms. Now, two DC teens have admitted what happened, federal prosecutors say. Two suspects have pleaded guilty after admitting they opened fire on a passing car near a Northwest DC high school, sending bullets into the building and grazing a student inside, federal authorities announced. The shooting happened on Kirby Street NW on Friday, May 3, 2024, just before 10 a.m., while classes were underway at Dunbar High School, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Saki Frost and Azhari Graves, both 19, pleaded guilty…

by Zak Failla

12/22/2025

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