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

Fort Belvoir, VA
Breaking News
Off-Duty Officer Among Three Hospitalized After Fairfax County Parkway Crash: Police Off-Duty Officer Among Three Hospitalized After Fairfax County Parkway Crash: Police Off-Duty Officer Among Three Hospitalized After Fairfax County Parkway Crash: Police
Off-Duty Officer Among Three Hospitalized After Fairfax County Parkway Crash: Police An off-duty Virginia police officer was among three hospitalized in a multi-vehicle crash early on Wednesday morning in Fairfax County, a police spokesperson confirmed. Shortly before 7 a.m. on Dec. 10, officers were called to a stretch of Fairfax County Parkway near John J Kingman Road in Fort Belvior, where there were reports of a crash that shut down the roadway. According to the Fairfax County Police Department, three adults were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries - including an off-duty officer who was also injured. No details about the crash or the victims were …

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by Zak Failla
Dundalk, MD
Breaking News
Dundalk Man Killed After Firing At Police During Mental-Health Call, Review Finds Dundalk Man Killed After Firing At Police During Mental-Health Call, Review Finds Dundalk Man Killed After Firing At Police During Mental-Health Call, Review Finds
Dundalk Man Killed After Firing At Police During Mental-Health Call, Review Finds A Maryland man who opened fire at police during a mental-health call was shot dead, and the state’s watchdog now says the responding officer broke no laws, the Independent Investigations Division (IID) announced. On May 18, 2025, at roughly 7:30 p.m., two officers from the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) responded to a 911 call about a “mental health crisis” in the 8200 block of North Boundary Road, Dundalk, officials said. One officer knocked on the front door, while the other moved to the alley — that’s when the man, Glenn Pettie, Jr., 43, fired a shot from inside the house.&nbs…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Obituaries
Nephew Leads Heartfelt Effort To Honor Uncle Steve Gardner After Unexpected Maryland Death Nephew Leads Heartfelt Effort To Honor Uncle Steve Gardner After Unexpected Maryland Death Nephew Leads Heartfelt Effort To Honor Uncle Steve Gardner After Unexpected Maryland Death
Nephew Leads Heartfelt Effort To Honor Uncle Steve Gardner After Unexpected Maryland Death Steve Gardner’s family didn’t expect to be planning his funeral this week.  His nephew, Bruce Gardner, said his uncle passed unexpectedly, leaving loved ones grieving and trying to make sense of the sudden loss. Bruce, who described Steve as a beloved son, father, uncle, cousin, friend, and neighbor, is now leading a heartfelt effort to honor his memory.  He created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and give his uncle “the honor he deserves,” a mission he’s been pushing forward with the help of friends, family, and strangers who have stepped in to support him. “Some of y…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Man, 20, Linked To Two Separate Baltimore Shootings Months Apart, Police Say Baltimore Man, 20, Linked To Two Separate Baltimore Shootings Months Apart, Police Say Baltimore Man, 20, Linked To Two Separate Baltimore Shootings Months Apart, Police Say
Baltimore Man, 20, Linked To Two Separate Baltimore Shootings Months Apart, Police Say A Baltimore man is now linked to two separate shootings that happened two months apart, police said on Tuesday. Investigators said 20-year-old Davon Matthews was arrested in connection with two unrelated shootings that happened in July and September in Baltimore's Central District. Police said the first shooting happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. in the 400 block of South Broadway on July 12, 2025, Baltimore Police said.  Officers arrived and found a 24-year-old man with gunshot wounds. Police said the victim was taken to a hospital, and his injuries were considered non-life-threateni…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Spotsylvania Driver Dies After Pickup Slams Into Tree In Early Morning Crash, Sheriff Says Spotsylvania Driver Dies After Pickup Slams Into Tree In Early Morning Crash, Sheriff Says Spotsylvania Driver Dies After Pickup Slams Into Tree In Early Morning Crash, Sheriff Says
Spotsylvania Driver Dies After Pickup Slams Into Tree In Early Morning Crash, Sheriff Says A Virginia man was killed early on Monday morning when a pickup ran off the road and slammed into a tree, officials confirmed. Saul Amaya Argueta, 36, has been identified as the driver who was killed at around 4:20 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 8 in a single-vehicle crash on Courthouse Road, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. The Spotsylvania resident was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. According to the sheriff's office, deputies arrived at the scene of the crash, where they were met by a 2008 Nissan Titan off the road and resting against a tree. Investigators…

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by Zak Failla
Owings Mills, MD
Obituaries
Owings Mills Mom Courtney Jennings-Smith Mourned As ‘The Best Of Us’ After Sudden Death Owings Mills Mom Courtney Jennings-Smith Mourned As ‘The Best Of Us’ After Sudden Death Owings Mills Mom Courtney Jennings-Smith Mourned As ‘The Best Of Us’ After Sudden Death
Owings Mills Mom Courtney Jennings-Smith Mourned As ‘The Best Of Us’ After Sudden Death Courtney Jennings-Smith had a way of filling every room she entered, friends said, and now her sudden loss has left that space painfully quiet. The Owings Mills resident died unexpectedly on Sunday, Nov. 30, according to her husband, Bryan Smith. She was 36. She was born in March 1989, and fate, her family says, brought her to her mother Brenda later that same year, beginning a bond that shaped every part of her life.  Jennings-Smith grew up in Maryland, graduating from Garrison Forest School in 2007, where she built friendships that lasted three decades. She later graduated from the …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Officer’s Camper Goes Up In Flames One Day After Son’s Brain Surgery Virginia Officer’s Camper Goes Up In Flames One Day After Son’s Brain Surgery Virginia Officer’s Camper Goes Up In Flames One Day After Son’s Brain Surgery
Virginia Officer’s Camper Goes Up In Flames One Day After Son’s Brain Surgery A Virginia security officer is getting a wave of community support after her camper burned to the ground the morning after her son underwent brain surgery, according to a fundraiser created for the family. Officer Melanie Burner, a well-known security officer at Indian Acres in Spotsylvania County, lost her home and belongings when her camper went up in flames this week. Photos shared by community members show the RV completely destroyed, leaving almost nothing behind. A GoFundMe created by C. Zimmer said the timing made the loss even more devastating. “Yesterday, Officer Melanie Burner — …

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Frederick Pediatrician Who Sexually Abused Young Patients Learns Prison Fate: ‘Child Predator’ Frederick Pediatrician Who Sexually Abused Young Patients Learns Prison Fate: ‘Child Predator’ Frederick Pediatrician Who Sexually Abused Young Patients Learns Prison Fate: ‘Child Predator’
Frederick Pediatrician Who Sexually Abused Young Patients Learns Prison Fate: ‘Child Predator’ A former Frederick pediatrician who spent decades treating children in Maryland will now spend decades in prison after a jury found he sexually abused a young patient during multiple exams, according to the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office. Ernesto Cesar Torres, 74, of Frederick, was sentenced Monday, Dec. 8, to 30 years with the Division of Corrections after being found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of third-degree sex offense, prosecutors said. Torres received credit for 2,087 days already served. Prosecutors said Torres faced more than 97 criminal charg…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Drunk Driver Hits Deputy As Three Loudoun County DWIs Stack Up In Hours: Sheriff Drunk Driver Hits Deputy As Three Loudoun County DWIs Stack Up In Hours: Sheriff Drunk Driver Hits Deputy As Three Loudoun County DWIs Stack Up In Hours: Sheriff
Drunk Driver Hits Deputy As Three Loudoun County DWIs Stack Up In Hours: Sheriff Loudoun County deputies had a busy Sunday night after three drivers were arrested for DWI within three hours. The long night included one deputy who was struck by an allegedly intoxicated driver, another who is a repeat offender, and a third who crashed without a license, officials said. Deputies were first called around 9:21 p.m. Dec. 7 to Sully Road and Sterling Boulevard, where they found a single-vehicle crash.  Investigators said the driver, Elmer Ochoa Cabrera, 32, of Mount Crawford, was under the influence. He was arrested and charged with: Driving while intoxicated: second c…

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by Zak Failla
Eldersburg, MD
Breaking News
Eldersburg Chase Ends With Walmart Theft Suspect Busted With Suspected Cocaine, Sheriff Says Eldersburg Chase Ends With Walmart Theft Suspect Busted With Suspected Cocaine, Sheriff Says Eldersburg Chase Ends With Walmart Theft Suspect Busted With Suspected Cocaine, Sheriff Says
Eldersburg Chase Ends With Walmart Theft Suspect Busted With Suspected Cocaine, Sheriff Says A late-night shoplifting call at a Maryland Walmart turned into a brief pursuit and a drug bust after deputies stopped a fleeing minivan loaded with stolen merchandise, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to the Walmart Supercenter on Ridge Road in Eldersburg around 10:43 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, for a shoplifting in progress, officials said. The suspect left in a blue minivan, which deputies spotted heading eastbound on Liberty Road near Ridge Road. When they tried to stop the vehicle, the driver took off at a high rate of speed, the sheriff’s office reported. …

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by Zak Failla
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