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

Towson, MD
Obituaries
49-Year Mystery Solved: Human Remains Found In North Carolina ID'd As Missing Maryland Girl 49-Year Mystery Solved: Human Remains Found In North Carolina ID'd As Missing Maryland Girl 49-Year Mystery Solved: Human Remains Found In North Carolina ID'd As Missing Maryland Girl
49-Year Mystery Solved: Human Remains Found In North Carolina ID'd As Missing Maryland Girl A Maryland girl who disappeared at 15 finally has her name back nearly half a century later. Cindy Marcell Blizzard ran away from Monkton in the spring of 1977 and was never seen again. More than 49 years later, investigators have identified her as the girl whose skeletal remains were found hundreds of miles away in North Carolina later that year. Blizzard's remains were discovered alongside clothing in a wooded area near the Firestone plant in Wilson on Dec. 29, 1977, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. At the time, a medical examiner believed the remains belong…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Carjacking Suspect Nabbed Years After Woman Dragged From Her Own Vehicle: Police Silver Spring Carjacking Suspect Nabbed Years After Woman Dragged From Her Own Vehicle: Police Silver Spring Carjacking Suspect Nabbed Years After Woman Dragged From Her Own Vehicle: Police
Silver Spring Carjacking Suspect Nabbed Years After Woman Dragged From Her Own Vehicle: Police A 23-year-old man who dragged a woman from her own vehicle in Maryland before crashing in DC has been apprehended years later, authorities announced. Daymonte Antonyio Jones is being held behind bars in connection with a carjacking that was reported in early July 2022 in Silver Spring, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. At around 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, officers were called to the 8700 block of Georgia Avenue when a woman reported that she returned to her vehicle and found a man sitting in the driver's seat. There was a brief altercation, during which the wom…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Your Community
'That's Right, I Saw You': Virginia Mom Says Rock Hurled From Overpass Nearly Killed Family 'That's Right, I Saw You': Virginia Mom Says Rock Hurled From Overpass Nearly Killed Family 'That's Right, I Saw You': Virginia Mom Says Rock Hurled From Overpass Nearly Killed Family
'That's Right, I Saw You': Virginia Mom Says Rock Hurled From Overpass Nearly Killed Family A few inches may have been all that separated a late-night drive through Virginia from a family tragedy. A massive rock came crashing down onto an SUV traveling along the Dulles Greenway at around 12:40 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7, near the Sycolin Road overpass in Loudoun County, according to Christina Martinez, who was inside with her husband, two children, and two friends. The rock first slammed into the hood before smashing into the windshield, leaving behind a deep dent and a sprawling web of shattered glass directly in front of the driver's seat. Martinez says that first bounce may ha…

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by Zak Failla
Glen Burnie, MD
Breaking News
Witnesses Pull 21-Year-Old From Burning Audi After Violent Glen Burnie Crash, Police Say Witnesses Pull 21-Year-Old From Burning Audi After Violent Glen Burnie Crash, Police Say Witnesses Pull 21-Year-Old From Burning Audi After Violent Glen Burnie Crash, Police Say
Witnesses Pull 21-Year-Old From Burning Audi After Violent Glen Burnie Crash, Police Say There was no time to wait. Witnesses rushed to pull a 21-year-old driver from a burning car after a violent single-vehicle crash in Maryland late Tuesday night, Sept. 8, according to police. The crash happened at approximately 10:35 p.m. as the Severn man was driving a 2018 Audi north on Route 100 near the merge onto Route 10 in Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County Police said. Investigators say the driver failed to negotiate the curve at the merge and struck a guardrail on the driver's side of the Audi. But the car didn't stop there. Police said the Audi continued out of control along Route…

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by Zak Failla
Rising Sun-Conowingo, MD
Weather
Did You Feel It? USGS Confirms Overnight Earthquake Near Rising Sun Did You Feel It? USGS Confirms Overnight Earthquake Near Rising Sun Did You Feel It? USGS Confirms Overnight Earthquake Near Rising Sun
Did You Feel It? USGS Confirms Overnight Earthquake Near Rising Sun The ground moved beneath Maryland while most people were sleeping. A 2.1-magnitude earthquake struck at approximately 12:41 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with its epicenter about 2 kilometers west of Rising Sun in Cecil County, according to the US Geological Survey. The overnight tremor originated approximately 6.2 kilometers, or nearly 4 miles, below the surface. It was small, but it was real. USGS scientists reviewed the event Wednesday morning, confirming the earthquake after it was detected using data from 35 seismic stations and 42 seismic phases. The earthquake registered a magnitude…

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by Zak Failla
Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
Chantilly Man Stole $2.5M From Investors, Then Claimed He Had Just 34 Cents: Feds Chantilly Man Stole $2.5M From Investors, Then Claimed He Had Just 34 Cents: Feds Chantilly Man Stole $2.5M From Investors, Then Claimed He Had Just 34 Cents: Feds
Chantilly Man Stole $2.5M From Investors, Then Claimed He Had Just 34 Cents: Feds Millions of dollars turned into 34 cents in seemingly a second. A Virginia man who stole more than $2.5 million from people who trusted him with their savings was convicted on Tuesday, Sept. 8, after prosecutors say he later tried to convince a bankruptcy court that his financial assets amounted to just $0.34. Lies. Jihoon Park, 52, of Chantilly, was found guilty by a federal jury in Alexandria of three counts of wire fraud and two counts of bankruptcy fraud following a scheme built on personal relationships and promises of safe investments with big returns. Instead, prosecutors say Park …

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff
Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff A teenage driver has been identified as the person behind the wheel who struck officials over the holiday weekend in Maryland. Officers spotted a stolen vehicle at around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, in the Raising Cane’s parking lot in Bel Air, where police say two people were inside. Before members of the Bel Air Police Department and Harford County Sheriff’s Office moved in, the passenger got out and went inside the restaurant. The driver had other plans. As officers and deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver took off, striking a Bel Air police officer and a Harford Coun…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl
Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl Movie night took a deadly turn for a Maryland family whose toddler overdosed on fentanyl, officials say. Curtis Bay resident Brooke Houck, 29, pleaded guilty in connection with her role in the 2024 death of her 23-month-old son Landon, who overdosed on fentanyl he ingested in the family home. On July 21, 2024, officers were called to the 8100 block of Holly Road, where there were reports of an unresponsive child. Upon arrival, first responders met with Houck and her husband, Nathan Houck, who directed them to their toddler. Landon Houck was pronounced dead at the scene. The Offi…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says
Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says A Virginia deputy heard the crash before he ever got the call. The wreck happened at approximately 1:52 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, near Staffordboro Boulevard and Garrisonville Road in Stafford, where a deputy found 62-year-old Samuel Brown standing beside a moped that was on the ground, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Brown allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol and had glassy eyes and slurred speech. He also admitted that he had been drinking earlier that day, investigators said. Brown declined to perform field sobriety tests or provide a breath sample and was arrested. …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say 'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say 'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say
'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say A 22-year-old Florida man with ties to DC and Connecticut has admitted to a $245 million crypto scheme, according to federal authorities. Malone Lam, a citizen of Singapore and recent resident of Miami, pleaded guilty in DC in connection with his role as ringleader of an international cybercrime conspiracy that used social engineering to steal and launder cryptocurrency valued at more than $245 million. Lam, who goes by some curious monikers, is facing a lengthy prison stay. His money didn't stay digital for long. Lam and his crew turned their crypto haul into the kind of spendi…

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by Zak Failla
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