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

Jessup, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Inmate, 23, Found Dead Inside State Prison As Homicide Unit Launches Investigation Maryland Inmate, 23, Found Dead Inside State Prison As Homicide Unit Launches Investigation Maryland Inmate, 23, Found Dead Inside State Prison As Homicide Unit Launches Investigation
Maryland Inmate, 23, Found Dead Inside State Prison As Homicide Unit Launches Investigation A 23-year-old inmate was found dead inside a Maryland state prison, prompting a homicide investigation at the Jessup Correctional Institution. Inmate Deon Smith was found unresponsive inside Building F at the Jessup prison, prompting a response from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, authorities said. At approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, investigators with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Internal Investigative Unit contacted the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit after Smith was found unresponsive. Emergency medical services personnel responded to …

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by Zak Failla
Taneytown-Union Bridge, MD
Breaking News
Carbon Monoxide Call Turns Tragic As Woman, Pets Found Dead In Taneytown House: Fire Marshal Carbon Monoxide Call Turns Tragic As Woman, Pets Found Dead In Taneytown House: Fire Marshal Carbon Monoxide Call Turns Tragic As Woman, Pets Found Dead In Taneytown House: Fire Marshal
Carbon Monoxide Call Turns Tragic As Woman, Pets Found Dead In Taneytown House: Fire Marshal A quiet Maryland home became the scene of a deadly discovery after firefighters were called for what was first believed to be a carbon monoxide incident. An 84-year-old woman was found dead following a house fire in Carroll County that investigators now believe may have smoldered unnoticed overnight, officials said. Taneytown Volunteer Fire Company responded around 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, to a home in the 3400 block of Francis Scott Key Highway, after receiving a report of a possible carbon monoxide-related emergency, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal. When c…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Brown University Shooting: Person Of Interest Detained, FBI Says Brown University Shooting: Person Of Interest Detained, FBI Says Brown University Shooting: Person Of Interest Detained, FBI Says
Brown University Shooting: Person Of Interest Detained, FBI Says A person of interest has been detained in the Brown University mass shooting Saturday, Dec. 13, the FBI announced Sunday morning, Dec. 14. At least two people were killed and eight others were injured following reports of an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering, officials said. Eight people were listed in critical, but stable condition at the hospital following the incident, officials said. The shelter-in-place was lifted Sunday morning. "We continue to ask anyone with information that could help this investigation to call the Providence Police Department at 401-652-576…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Early Morning Alexandria Crash Turns Deadly As Second Driver Clings To Life: Police Early Morning Alexandria Crash Turns Deadly As Second Driver Clings To Life: Police Early Morning Alexandria Crash Turns Deadly As Second Driver Clings To Life: Police
Early Morning Alexandria Crash Turns Deadly As Second Driver Clings To Life: Police A routine morning drive through a Virginia neighborhood turned deadly at a busy intersection. Alexandria Police are investigating a two-vehicle crash that left one man dead and another seriously injured at the intersection of King and South Taylor streets early Saturday morning, authorities said. Officers were called to the scene at approximately 8 a.m. on Dec. 13, after reports of a crash involving two vehicles, police said. Both drivers — two adult men — were injured and transported to a local hospital. One of the drivers later succumbed to his injuries, police said. The second driver r…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Killer Who Suffocated Ex With Sock, Dumped Body In Dumpster Learns Prison Fate: Feds DC Killer Who Suffocated Ex With Sock, Dumped Body In Dumpster Learns Prison Fate: Feds DC Killer Who Suffocated Ex With Sock, Dumped Body In Dumpster Learns Prison Fate: Feds
DC Killer Who Suffocated Ex With Sock, Dumped Body In Dumpster Learns Prison Fate: Feds The man who murdered his ex-girlfriend by suffocating her with a sock and dumping her body in a DC dumpster will spend decades in prison after admitting to the crime, authorities announced. Richard Dyson, 57, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the murder of Donnella Bryan, 62, who was reported missing and later found in a Hechinger Mall dumpster in Northeast DC. On Friday, federal authorities announced that Dyson has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. Bryan was last seen around 12 p.m. on April 17 in the 300 block of N Street NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. She was…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Man Who Killed Pregnant Woman In Double Manassas Murder Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney Man Who Killed Pregnant Woman In Double Manassas Murder Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney Man Who Killed Pregnant Woman In Double Manassas Murder Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney
Man Who Killed Pregnant Woman In Double Manassas Murder Convicted: Commonwealth Attorney A jury in Virginia convicted a 38-year-old man in April 2024 of the murders of two people, including a pregnant woman.  Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth announced the successful prosecution of Edward Jackson Bland, 38, following a jury verdict returned on Wednesday, Dec. 11, in Prince William County Circuit Court, according to the agency. Jurors found Bland guilty of:  Aggravated murder of a pregnant victim; Aggravated murder for killing more than one person; Second-degree murder; Carjacking; Three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The charges stem …

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
United Flight Bound For Japan Returns To Dulles After Mechanical Issue, Brushfire (UPDATED) United Flight Bound For Japan Returns To Dulles After Mechanical Issue, Brushfire (UPDATED) United Flight Bound For Japan Returns To Dulles After Mechanical Issue, Brushfire (UPDATED)
United Flight Bound For Japan Returns To Dulles After Mechanical Issue, Brushfire (Updated) A United Airlines flight departing Dulles International Airport on Saturday afternoon was able to land safely back in Virginia after a mechanical malfunction sparked a small brushfire near the runway. First responders from Sterling, Ashburn, and other surrounding agencies were called around 1 p.m. on Dec. 13 to the Loudoun County airport, where a re forced the flight to return due to a mechanical failure.  Engine 611B dispatched to Dulles Airport with @AshburnFire [Sat 01:00 PM] — Sterling VFC (@SterlingFire) December 13, 2025 According to officials with the Loudoun Career Firefig…

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by Zak Failla
Hyattsville, MD
Your Community
Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds
Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds A man once sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder in Maryland is now back behind bars — this time in federal immigration custody. ICE Baltimore announced this week that agents arrested Miseal Pena, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, after learning he had been released despite receiving a life sentence for a violent crime. According to ICE, Pena was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, crimes that stemmed from a 2007 case prosecuted in Prince George’s County. Court records show Pena was charged in connection with a vio…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges
Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges A Virginia mosque was allegedly hit by a repeat attacker — and now civil rights leaders are demanding hate crime charges. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says a man accused of launching an anti-Muslim attack at the Dar Al Nur Community Center in Fairfax County should face hate crime prosecution after allegedly targeting Somali-American worshippers for the second time. This time, the whole thing was caught on camera. Muslim civil rights and advocacy group notes this is the second time same suspect has been prosecuted for allegedly targeting the mosque. CAIR - Counc…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles
Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles After a slow start to the offseason, the New York Mets are beginning to ramp things up as they look to replace core players they either traded or let walk as free agents. Seattle Mariners postseason hero Jorge Polanco, 32, has agreed to a two-year deal worth a total of $40 million — pending a physical — to take over for Pete Alonso at first base after he signed his mega-deal with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week. Despite having never logged an inning in the MLB at first base, Polanco is reportedly expected to step in as the regular there, though he can slide into a designated hitter …

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by Zak Failla
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