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

National Interest

Virginia’s Drunk Raccoon Makes It To SNL As Sarah Sherman Steals The ‘Weekend Update’ Desk The drunk raccoon who ransacked a Virginia liquor store has now made its way to New York. "Saturday Night Live" had some fun with the raccoon that made national headlines after going on a bender at the Ashland ABC Store in a "Weekend Update" skit. Host Colin Jost welcomed the "drunk raccoon" to the set, played by Sarah Sherman, who stole the show as she stumbled around the desk with a half-empty bottle of booze. A drunk raccoon (Sarah Sherman) stops by Weekend Update to discuss breaking into a liquor store. Saturday Night Live "God, Colin, what happened last night... Did we hook u…

by Zak Failla

12/07/2025

Essex, MD

Breaking News

AG IDs Essex Man Killed, Four Officers Involved In Fatal Baltimore County Police Shooting Investigators have released the name of the man shot and killed by police in Baltimore County, along with the four officers who opened fire, according to the state AG's Office. The Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General said the fatal shooting happened on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Essex after Baltimore County Police officers responded to a 911 call for a stabbing in the 900 block of Holgate Drive around 8:30 p.m. When officers got there, they “encountered a man armed with a knife.” Investigators said officers gave him verbal commands, and “at t…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Rockville, MD

On Your Side

Andre Agassi Nails Steffi Graf’s Sushi Order In Maryland — But Can’t Decide His Own Tennis legend Andre Agassi knew just what to get wife Steffi Graf when he stopped by a sushi spot in Maryland — but was unsure what to get himself while he waited for her to arrive. The Hall of Famer was in town to film for a few days with pro pickleball paddle company JOOLA, but had a few hours to wait until Graf made her way to shoot with him. "I'm excited about doing it with Stef, which is so cool, but she doesn't get in for a couple more hours," Agassi mused in a post shared on Instagram. View this post on Instagram For his wife? A…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

National Interest

White House Trolls Sabrina Carpenter Again After Deleting ICE Video Using Her Song The White House social media team doubled down and will not go away quietly as they continue to troll pop star Sabrina Carpenter. The 26-year-old Quakertown native won one battle against the feds over their use of her song "Juno" after they featured it in a video showcasing ICE officers detaining multiple "suspects." Carpenter quickly spoke out against the video, calling it "evil and disgusting." "Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda." The White House deleted their tweet featuring Sabrina Carpenter’s song after she absolutely crushed it wi…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Virginia Man Offering Babysitting, Music Lessons Accused Of Child Sex Assault: Police A Virginia babysitter is accused of sexually assaulting a child he was watching, according to police. Albemarle County Police said they began investigating on Thursday, Dec. 4, after receiving a report that a child had allegedly been assaulted the day prior while in the care of a babysitter. Detectives say that they identified Crozet resident Maxwell Mandell, 24, as the suspect, and he was taken into custody on Friday, Dec. 5 without incident. Mandell was charged with felony aggravated sexual battery and felony indecent liberties with a child, according to the department. He is being…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Clarksville, MD

Breaking News

Clarksville Man Vanishes In Freezing Weather Before Search Team Finds Him Dead In Woods: Police A Maryland man who disappeared this week after leaving his home without medication or proper clothing was found dead Saturday morning, police said. Howard County Police announced that 26-year-old Mohammed Halawa was found dead in a wooded area by a search team at around 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 6. Officials confirmed "there are no indications of foul play." The discovery followed a large first responder presence across neighborhoods and wooded areas off Trotter Road, South Wind Circle, and the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area in Clarksville, where crews had been searching since Halawa wa…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

National Interest

Trump Administration Drops MLK Day, Juneteenth From Free Park Days In Favor Of His Birthday The Trump administration is shaking up America’s national park calendar — and critics are already buzzing over which days made the cut and which ones didn’t. The Department of the Interior announced what it called the “most significant modernization of national park access in decades,” unveiling a new pricing system, new digital passes, and a brand-new list of free entry days starting Jan. 1, 2026. Two days are notably missing from the list: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. A new addition: Flag Day — which the Department lists alongside President Trump’s birthday, June 14. Accord…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Driver Survives After Train Slams Into Car At Gaithersburg Crossing, Fire Officials Say A driver survived after their car was hit by a train in Maryland early Friday, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene. Montgomery County Fire & Rescue crews responded to the crash at Oakmont Avenue and Railroad Street in Gaithersburg, where a train struck a car but somehow didn’t end the way anyone feared. Fire officials said the occupant was “out and safe” when firefighters arrived, and crews stayed on scene to check for hazards and secure the crossing. They also used the moment to remind drivers—firmly—that trains don’t play games. “Always stop, look, and listen at railro…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

Driver Going Nearly 100 MPH Killed Man On Maryland Parkway, Then Tried To Walk Home To DC: Feds A speeding driver from DC who killed a 23-year-old man on a Maryland highway will spend years behind bars, federal authorities announced. Jordan Johnson, 28, was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in federal prison in connection with a fatal car crash on the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County in 2022. According to prosecutors, around 4:45 a.m. on March 20, 2022, Johnson was driving on the parkway when he struck two vehicles that were in the roadway — both of which had been involved in an earlier accident. One victim from the original crash was killed on impact when struck by Johnson's…

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

10 Years Gone: What Happened To Katelin Akens? Spotsylvania Sheriff Renews Search Effort Ten years after 19-year-old Katelin Michelle Akens vanished in Virginia, investigators are once again asking the public to help bring her home. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office issued a renewed plea Friday, Dec. 5, marking a decade since Akens disappeared after she was supposed to travel from the Partlow area to Reagan National Airport for a flight back to her home in Arizona. A flight she never checked into. Two days later — Dec. 7, 2015 — her luggage was found on River Road in Spotsylvania County, the Sheriff’s Office said. She has not been seen since. The Sheriff’s Office said …

by Zak Failla

12/06/2025

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