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

Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Fairfax Woman Grieves Partner’s Sudden Death While Fighting To Keep Her Home Fairfax Woman Grieves Partner’s Sudden Death While Fighting To Keep Her Home Fairfax Woman Grieves Partner’s Sudden Death While Fighting To Keep Her Home
Fairfax Woman Grieves Partner’s Sudden Death While Fighting To Keep Her Home A Virginia woman is trying to keep her home while grieving the sudden loss of the man she had just moved in with. Fairfax resident Rachel Donders is picking up the pieces after she suffered an unimaginable loss when her partner, Trevor, died from suicide — just two months after the pair moved in together. "My world changed completely when my partner passed away," she said, describing him as “the most selfless, kind, and loving person I have ever known.” GoFundMe Donders said that before his death, Trevor was the primary bread-winner for the couple. She also wrote that she was on hi…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Your Community
Teen Hit Teacher With Laptop After Being Asked About Absence At Maurice McDonough H: Sheriff Teen Hit Teacher With Laptop After Being Asked About Absence At Maurice McDonough H: Sheriff Teen Hit Teacher With Laptop After Being Asked About Absence At Maurice McDonough H: Sheriff
Teen Hit Teacher With Laptop After Being Asked About Absence At Maurice McDonough H: Sheriff A teen student in Maryland is facing assault charges after authorities say he hit a teacher in the head with a laptop during class dismissal. The 15-year-old is facing multiple charges after deputies say he attacked a teacher who asked why he skipped class at Maurice McDonough High School on Wednesday, Nov. 19, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The school resource officer responded to a classroom after a teacher was intentionally struck in the back of the head while dismissing students. According to the sheriff's office, "the assault happened right after the teacher questio…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Obituaries
Rockville Family Hit With Double Loss When Mother Dies Day After Father’s Devastating Diagnosis Rockville Family Hit With Double Loss When Mother Dies Day After Father’s Devastating Diagnosis Rockville Family Hit With Double Loss When Mother Dies Day After Father’s Devastating Diagnosis
Rockville Family Hit With Double Loss When Mother Dies Day After Father’s Devastating Diagnosis A Rockville family was pushed past the brink in just one day. What began as a medical fight inside a Maryland ICU turned into a devastating double loss for the Muñoz family, who were hit with two life-changing blows within 24 hours. Their father, Jorge — known to loved ones as Yayo — had already spent four weeks in the ICU, according to Gricel Muñoz, who arranged a fundraiser for his daughters.  The family then learned he had been diagnosed with severe brain damage and now requires round-the-clock, indefinite care. But before they could even process that news, tragedy struck again. …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Alicia Silverstone Teams With PETA, Offers Reward To Help Find Missing Virginia Baby Giraffes Alicia Silverstone Teams With PETA, Offers Reward To Help Find Missing Virginia Baby Giraffes Alicia Silverstone Teams With PETA, Offers Reward To Help Find Missing Virginia Baby Giraffes
Alicia Silverstone Teams With PETA, Offers Reward To Help Find Missing Virginia Baby Giraffes Alicia Silverstone is stepping into a real-life Virginia mystery, teaming up with PETA to offer a $50,000 reward to help find two missing baby giraffes taken from the Natural Bridge Zoo, the group announced. The "Clueless" star, a longtime PETA supporter, said she hopes the money will push someone to speak up quickly as the fevered search for the animals continues. “Tearing babies away from their distraught mothers is devastating for both, no matter what species they are,” Silverstone said.  “These missing babies need specialized care, and every day counts in finding them, so I hope s…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Texas-To-Baltimore Cocaine Pipeline Busted As Cops Seize 43 Kilos In Massive Raid Texas-To-Baltimore Cocaine Pipeline Busted As Cops Seize 43 Kilos In Massive Raid Texas-To-Baltimore Cocaine Pipeline Busted As Cops Seize 43 Kilos In Massive Raid
Texas-To-Baltimore Cocaine Pipeline Busted As Cops Seize 43 Kilos In Massive Raid A massive flow of cocaine from Texas into, Maryland was cut off in Baltimore, where detectives seized more than 43 kilograms of narcotics during a coordinated takedown involving local, state, and federal law enforcement last month, authorities announced. The investigation began in January 2025, when detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department Narcotics Unit started tracking a group they believed was bringing large amounts of cocaine across the country, police said.  Detectives later identified several suspected members of the trafficking ring, including: Benjamin Rivas Lop…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Woman Killed As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Home On Thanksgiving Eve Maryland Woman Killed As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Home On Thanksgiving Eve Maryland Woman Killed As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Home On Thanksgiving Eve
Maryland Woman Killed As Fast-Moving Fire Rips Through Home On Thanksgiving Eve A 50-year-old woman was killed when a fast-moving fire tore through a Maryland home on Tuesday afternoon, launching a joint investigation by state and local authorities, officials say. The blaze broke out shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at a single-family home converted into two apartments on Center Street, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal.  Firefighters arrived within minutes to find smoke and flames shooting from a first-floor bedroom window. Dozens of firefighters worked the two-alarm fire and brought it under control in about 15 minutes.  After extingu…

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by Zak Failla
Herndon, VA
Breaking News
Ambulance Racing To Emergency Involved In Deadly Herndon Crash, Officials Say (DEVELOPING) Ambulance Racing To Emergency Involved In Deadly Herndon Crash, Officials Say (DEVELOPING) Ambulance Racing To Emergency Involved In Deadly Herndon Crash, Officials Say (DEVELOPING)
Ambulance Racing To Emergency Involved In Deadly Herndon Crash, Officials Say (Developing) A Fairfax County ambulance rushing to an emergency call was involved in a deadly crash in Herndon late Tuesday afternoon, officials say. The wreck happened at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the intersection of Worldgate Drive and Alton Square, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.  One person was pronounced dead on the scene. Two Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel and another civilian were taken to the hospital for treatment and evaluation of what were described as non-life-threatening injuries. Westbound Worldgate Drive was shut down at Alton Square as crews worke…

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by Zak Failla
Perryville-Port Deposit, MD
Breaking News
Perryville Man Busted With Kilo Of Cocaine, Loaded Ghost Gun After Traffic Stop: State Police Perryville Man Busted With Kilo Of Cocaine, Loaded Ghost Gun After Traffic Stop: State Police Perryville Man Busted With Kilo Of Cocaine, Loaded Ghost Gun After Traffic Stop: State Police
Perryville Man Busted With Kilo Of Cocaine, Loaded Ghost Gun After Traffic Stop: State Police A dealer accused of supplying cocaine across Northern Maryland was taken down after troopers recovered more than a kilogram of drugs and a handgun, state police say. Perryville resident Dwight L. Alexander, 48, was arrested at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, at about 8:30 in the morning on a warrant issued by the Cecil County District Court Commissioner’s Office, police said.  The arrest stems from a months-long Maryland State Police investigation into cocaine distribution in Cecil County.  Troopers identified Alexander as a source of supply and secured search warrants for h…

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by Zak Failla
Glen Burnie, MD
Breaking News
Gun-Waving Motorist Sparks Maryland Highway Chaos In I-695 Road Rage Explosion: State Police Gun-Waving Motorist Sparks Maryland Highway Chaos In I-695 Road Rage Explosion: State Police Gun-Waving Motorist Sparks Maryland Highway Chaos In I-695 Road Rage Explosion: State Police
Gun-Waving Motorist Sparks Maryland Highway Chaos In I-695 Road Rage Explosion: State Police A Baltimore man is facing multiple felony assault and traffic-related charges following a violent road rage incident in September, state police announced. Kyron Lambert, 22, is behind bars after an incident that was reported in late September in Glen Burnie, officials say. On Sept. 30, troopers received a report of an alleged road rage incident that occurred around 8 a.m. in the area of I-695 at Route 97. The victim reported that Lambert, driving an Acura, pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down the window and pointed a handgun at the other driver. No injuries were reported. Lambert …

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Woman Killed After Car Flips In Violent Overnight Wreck, Police Say Silver Spring Woman Killed After Car Flips In Violent Overnight Wreck, Police Say Silver Spring Woman Killed After Car Flips In Violent Overnight Wreck, Police Say
Silver Spring Woman Killed After Car Flips In Violent Overnight Wreck, Police Say A Montgomery County driver was killed when her car flipped off a busy stretch of Cherry Hill Road late Sunday, police say. The crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, on Cherry Hill Road near O’Fallon Street, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. According to investigators, the driver was later identified as 26-year-old Silver Spring resident Mariama Samateh. Police said first responders found Samateh trapped inside a blue 2007 Toyota Avalon that had overturned after leaving the roadway when she failed to negotiate a turn. After losing contro…

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by Zak Failla
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