Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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

Maryland Family’s Florida Road Trip Ends In Horror After Violent T-Bone Crash In Georgia Maryland Family’s Florida Road Trip Ends In Horror After Violent T-Bone Crash In Georgia Maryland Family’s Florida Road Trip Ends In Horror After Violent T-Bone Crash In Georgia
Maryland Family’s Florida Road Trip Ends In Horror After Violent T-Bone Crash In Georgia A Maryland family’s road trip to Florida turned into a nightmare when their car was t-boned in Georgia, sending all four passengers to the hospital with serious injuries, officials said. The crash happened on Nov. 9, as Jameka Smith, Charlene Smith, Sherneen Smith, and young Xavi were driving from Maryland to Jacksonville, according to the family.  The impact was so severe that first responders used the jaws of life to free Charlene, who was flown from the scene to Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia. Family members said that Jameka lost consciousness upon impact and sustained t…
Virginia Woman Wakes To Stranger Standing Over Her In Chilling Home Break-In, Sheriff Says Virginia Woman Wakes To Stranger Standing Over Her In Chilling Home Break-In, Sheriff Says Virginia Woman Wakes To Stranger Standing Over Her In Chilling Home Break-In, Sheriff Says
Virginia Woman Wakes To Stranger Standing Over Her In Chilling Home Break-In, Sheriff Says A woman in Virginia woke up to a stranger standing over her in her bedroom during a terrifying invasion after he made himself right at home, officials said. The break-in was reported in the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Stonehaven subdivision on the north end of Route 229, according to the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the woman managed to escape only because the suspect briefly walked away to grab items he had left behind as she made a dash to her neighbor's home to call 911. The woman told deputies she woke to find a man standing above her in her bedroom after …
Hydroplaning — Not Hit-Run Driver — Triggered Multi-Car I-95 Crash In Spotsy: State Police Hydroplaning — Not Hit-Run Driver — Triggered Multi-Car I-95 Crash In Spotsy: State Police Hydroplaning — Not Hit-Run Driver — Triggered Multi-Car I-95 Crash In Spotsy: State Police
Hydroplaning — Not Hit-Run Driver — Triggered Multi-Car I-95 Crash In Spotsy: State Police Turns out the I-95 crash that had Virginia troopers searching for a mystery pickup driver… didn’t involve a pickup at all. Virginia State Police now say the truck that was originally blamed for sparking Tuesday’s multi-vehicle crash in Spotsylvania County simply wasn’t there. In an updated release Wednesday morning, VSP put it bluntly: “FURTHER INVESTIGATION NOW INDICATES THAT THERE WAS NO WHITE PICKUP INVOLVED IN THE CRASH.” That’s a sharp turn from the early reports that had troopers looking for a hit-and-run driver after several people were taken to the hospital. Here's what state pol…
Virginia Husband, Father Of Four Dies Suddenly Leaving Community Shattered: 'Loved By Everyone' Virginia Husband, Father Of Four Dies Suddenly Leaving Community Shattered: 'Loved By Everyone' Virginia Husband, Father Of Four Dies Suddenly Leaving Community Shattered: 'Loved By Everyone'
Virginia Husband, Father Of Four Dies Suddenly Leaving Community Shattered: 'Loved By Everyone' Alan Patrick Daniel Rindfleisch was home with his family the night before Thanksgiving when everything changed. His death the day before was sudden and unexpected, loved ones said, as he leaves behind his high school sweetheart, four kids, and a community that is looking to rally around them.  Rindfleisch is being remembered as a devoted husband. A father of four. A man with, in Amanda Nadolski’s words, “an unimaginable number of real friends who meant the world to him.”  His marriage to wife Jennifer Rindfleisch stretched back to high school and grew through 20 ye…
Maryland Mom Of Three Dies Cooking Day Before Thanksgiving; Family Seeks Help Sending Her Home Maryland Mom Of Three Dies Cooking Day Before Thanksgiving; Family Seeks Help Sending Her Home Maryland Mom Of Three Dies Cooking Day Before Thanksgiving; Family Seeks Help Sending Her Home
Maryland Mom Of Three Dies Cooking Day Before Thanksgiving; Family Seeks Help Sending Her Home A Maryland family is grieving the sudden loss of Masey Ceesay-Sanneh, a mother of three who collapsed and died the day before Thanksgiving while preparing food for her loved ones. Her brother, Yusupha Ceesay, said Ceesay-Sanneh went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, as she was getting ready for the holiday meal.  The loss stunned relatives across Maryland and The Gambia, where she grew up and where her family hopes to return her body. Yusupha Ceesay described his sister as a devoted mother of three boys, “all under 21, one who is special needs.”  He called her “a …
Maryland Crossing Guard Seriously Injured After Being Hit Outside La Plata High School Maryland Crossing Guard Seriously Injured After Being Hit Outside La Plata High School Maryland Crossing Guard Seriously Injured After Being Hit Outside La Plata High School
Maryland Crossing Guard Seriously Injured After Being Hit Outside La Plata High School A school crossing guard was seriously injured Tuesday morning after being hit by a car outside a Maryland high school, officials said. The incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when the guard at La Plata High School was directing traffic near the entrance to the school, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the guard instructed a driver to make a left turn from the access road across the street to northbound Radio Station Road. As the driver turned, the front right corner of the vehicle struck the guard in the leg, knocking her to the ground, …
Death Investigation Closes Shady Grove Metro Garages In Maryland, Police Say (DEVELOPING) Death Investigation Closes Shady Grove Metro Garages In Maryland, Police Say (DEVELOPING) Death Investigation Closes Shady Grove Metro Garages In Maryland, Police Say (DEVELOPING)
Death Investigation Closes Shady Grove Metro Garages In Maryland, Police Say (Developing) A death investigation shut down two parking garages at the Shady Grove Metro station early Wednesday, police said. Officers were called shortly before 5 a.m. to the North Parking garage for a reported death, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. According to the agency, police said, “Parking Garage 1 & 2 accessed from Redland Road is closed.” The department said that more information is expected to be released when "details are confirmed."  No additional details about the victim or the circumstances have been released. This is a developing story. Check Da…
Burglary Suspect On Home Detention Escapes After GPS Goes Dark: St. Mary's County Sheriff Burglary Suspect On Home Detention Escapes After GPS Goes Dark: St. Mary's County Sheriff Burglary Suspect On Home Detention Escapes After GPS Goes Dark: St. Mary's County Sheriff
Burglary Suspect On Home Detention Escapes After GPS Goes Dark: St. Mary's County Sheriff A man once busted in a Lexington Park burglary case is now wanted again — this time for escape — after deputies say his GPS ankle monitor was deactivated and he vanished in Maryland. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Carlonte Antoine Knott, 33, of Baltimore, who is wanted “for escape,” according to authorities. Knott is described by deputies as a Black man who is 6-feet-3 and approximately 250 pounds. The sheriff's office said deputies were notified on Monday, Dec. 1, that the ankle-monitoring GPS device assigned to Knott had been deactivated, and that subsequent atte…
Maryland Waterman Missing After Vessel Found In Gear Near Deal Island (DEVELOPING) Maryland Waterman Missing After Vessel Found In Gear Near Deal Island (DEVELOPING) Maryland Waterman Missing After Vessel Found In Gear Near Deal Island (DEVELOPING)
Maryland Waterman Missing After Vessel Found In Gear Near Deal Island (Developing) A Maryland waterman is missing after his boat was found running unattended in Somerset County, authorities said. Gregg Allan Thomas, 65, of Princess Anne, was reported overdue Monday afternoon in the waters near Deal Island, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police. Officers said his commercial vessel was discovered in the area of Holland Strait, “unoccupied and in gear.” Maryland Natural Resources Police, the US Coast Guard, and local agencies began searching the area by boat and sonar after the discovery. DNR officials said that surface and sonar operations are “c…
Volunteer Firefighter From Kensington Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography, Police Say Volunteer Firefighter From Kensington Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography, Police Say Volunteer Firefighter From Kensington Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography, Police Say
Volunteer Firefighter From Kensington Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography, Police Say A volunteer firefighter in Maryland has been removed from duty after police charged him with multiple counts of possessing child porn, officials said. Evan Morison, 18, of Kensington, was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography after a months-long investigation by the Montgomery County Police Special Victims Investigations Division, according to the fire officials.  Morison was a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Bethesda Fire Department, officials said.  He has volunteered since 2023. MCFRS said that once they were notif…
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