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

Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal
Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal A Hagerstown man was hospitalized with serious burn injuries after a bedroom fire broke out as he was smoking while on oxygen, state fire officials said. The fire happened shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, in a row home in the 1300 block of Jay Drive in Washington County, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Investigators said the resident, identified as Timothy Fisher, sustained burns after a fire ignited in a second-floor front bedroom, authorities said. The fire was discovered by the occupant and was already out when firefighters arrived, officials said. It took just six…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest
Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest A former top corrections official who abused her power to help a fugitive boyfriend evade arrest has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison, federal prosecutors announced. Jennifer Peters, 43, of Madison Heights, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for illegally accessing protected law enforcement databases, lying to investigators, and destroying evidence, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Peters, who served as acting director of the Lynchburg Community Corrections and Pretrial Services Department, previously pleaded guilty to one count each of: Obs…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds
Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds A Maryland man who once faced the possibility of life in prison for a violent robbery and carjacking spree that crossed state lines has now been sentenced. Thaddeus Lamont Wills, 52, of Waldorf, was sentenced to 55 years in federal prison for his role in a string of armed robberies that ended with the murder of a business owner, federal prosecutors announced on Friday, Dec. 12. The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Baltimore, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Wills was previously convicted by a federal jury following a nin…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds
Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds A Virginia man admitted in federal court that he possessed child porn after sending disturbing videos to an undercover FBI officer on social media, prosecutors announced. Christopher Allan Johnson, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child sexual exploitation materials involving a prepubescent minor, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia. According to court documents, Johnson used the Kik social media app on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, after leaving the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, where he logged into the platform and joined a public…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ
Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ A Russian national who lived in Alexandria was convicted by a federal jury of international parental kidnapping after secretly taking her newborn daughter out of the country and arranging for the child to be moved beyond US reach, prosecutors announced. Elena Pendergrass, also known as Elena Stukalkina, 35, was found guilty in US District Court in Alexandria, following a trial in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Federal prosecutors said Pendergrass was living in Alexandria before giving birth to her daughter on May 21, when a DNA test had already conf…

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by Zak Failla
Clifton-Fairfax Station, VA
Breaking News
Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police
Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police A 66-year-old man died after suffering a medical emergency while in custody following a DUI arrest that began with a single-vehicle crash in Virginia, police said. Shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, officers responded to the Shell gas station in the 11200 block of Fairfax Boulevard in the City of Fairfax for a report of a crash involving one vehicle, according to the City of Fairfax Police Department. Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and evaluated the driver, but the man refused further medical treatment at the scene, police said.  Preliminary information indicated the driver w…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ
Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ A former correctional supervisor was convicted after a federal jury found he helped cover up evidence of an inmate assault and then lied to investigators, prosecutors announced in Maryland. Jermaine Sturgis, 41, of Laurel, Delaware, was found guilty after a five-day trial of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer, Baltimore, Monday, Dec. 15, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Sturgis previously served as a lieutenant correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, where prosecutors said he played a key role in hiding evi…

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by Zak Failla
Mechanicsville, MD
Breaking News
Paroled Predator Convicted After Knife Kidnapping Attack On St. Mary's County Woman Paroled Predator Convicted After Knife Kidnapping Attack On St. Mary's County Woman Paroled Predator Convicted After Knife Kidnapping Attack On St. Mary's County Woman
Paroled Predator Convicted After Knife Kidnapping Attack On St. Mary's County Woman A violent repeat offender who stalked and attacked a woman at knifepoint in Maryland has now been convicted by a jury, prosecutors announced, clearing the way for a potential decades-long prison sentence. William Francis Dixon, 52, of Mechanicsville, was found guilty after a five-day jury trial in St. Mary’s County, following a March 2025 attack in which he attempted to kidnap a woman while armed with a knife, according to the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Dixon was convicted of attempted kidnapping, armed robbery, first-degree assault, theft between $100 and…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
On Your Side
Maryland Sues Uber Over Alleged Subscription Traps That Hit Riders’ Wallets Maryland Sues Uber Over Alleged Subscription Traps That Hit Riders’ Wallets Maryland Sues Uber Over Alleged Subscription Traps That Hit Riders’ Wallets
Maryland Sues Uber Over Alleged Subscription Traps That Hit Riders’ Wallets Several state are taking Uber to court, accusing the rideshare giant of luring consumers into paid subscriptions, charging them without clear consent, and making it a headache to cancel. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Monday, Dec. 15, that the state joined a federal lawsuit against Uber Technologies, Inc. and Uber USA, LLC, accusing the company of deceptive enrollment, billing, and cancellation practices tied to its Uber One subscription service. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and alleges Uber used…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Virginia Barbershop Used As Alleged Cocaine Front Before ICE Bust, Feds Say Virginia Barbershop Used As Alleged Cocaine Front Before ICE Bust, Feds Say Virginia Barbershop Used As Alleged Cocaine Front Before ICE Bust, Feds Say
Virginia Barbershop Used As Alleged Cocaine Front Before ICE Bust, Feds Say Federal and state authorities say a Virginia barbershop was being used as a front for cocaine sales, leading to the arrest of a Dominican Republic national after a brief foot chase in Chesterfield County. ICE Washington, DC officers and the Virginia State Police arrested Alis Deyvi Goris-Andujar, 38, in North Chesterfield, on Nov. 11, following a joint operation, according to federal officials. Investigators allege Goris-Andujar was selling cocaine out of a local barbershop in the area when officers moved in. A search of his home turned up two illegal firearms, including an AR-type rifle a…

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by Zak Failla
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