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

Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Wrong-Way Chase Suspect Who Fled Hospital Now In Frederick Adult Detention Center: Sheriff Wrong-Way Chase Suspect Who Fled Hospital Now In Frederick Adult Detention Center: Sheriff Wrong-Way Chase Suspect Who Fled Hospital Now In Frederick Adult Detention Center: Sheriff
Wrong-Way Chase Suspect Who Fled Hospital Now In Frederick Adult Detention Center: Sheriff The Maryland man accused of barreling the wrong way down I-270 with three children in his car during a wild police chase has been transferred to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies also released the booking photo of Cory Thomas Burkhardt, 37, of Idlewylde, marking the first public look at the man behind the chaos. Burkhardt made headlines earlier this month after a Frederick County deputy spotted him driving recklessly on US Route 15 near Rosemont Avenue at about 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.  Investigators said he crossed the median a…

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
250+ Grams Of Fentanyl Seized From Elkton Teen In Months-Long Investigation: State Police 250+ Grams Of Fentanyl Seized From Elkton Teen In Months-Long Investigation: State Police 250+ Grams Of Fentanyl Seized From Elkton Teen In Months-Long Investigation: State Police
250+ Grams Of Fentanyl Seized From Elkton Teen In Months-Long Investigation: State Police A 17-year-old is facing felony drug charges after state troopers seized more than 250 grams of fentanyl during a months-long trafficking investigation in Cecil County, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers zeroed in on the teen after identifying him as a source of supply during an October and November probe into fentanyl distribution in the Elkton area, police said.  Investigators secured warrants for his home and the gray 2019 Honda Civic he was using to run the operation. At about 4:20 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, troopers watched the teen walk out of his Elkton house and detaine…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Mario,’ ‘Hello Kitty’ — All Fake, All Seized At Virginia Port: CBP ‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Mario,’ ‘Hello Kitty’ — All Fake, All Seized At Virginia Port: CBP ‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Mario,’ ‘Hello Kitty’ — All Fake, All Seized At Virginia Port: CBP
‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Mario,’ ‘Hello Kitty’ — All Fake, All Seized At Virginia Port: CBP The holiday shopping season is supposed to be magical — not a minefield of bootleg toys stuffed with knockoff branding and unsafe materials. But that’s what federal officers say they stopped from entering the country after seizing more than $775,000 in counterfeit children’s toys headed for the region. Customs and Border Protection officers in Norfolk, Virginia, intercepted the massive shipment late last month after spotting more than 17,000 pieces of counterfeit children's merchandise that had arrived from China and was ultimately bound for Wood County, West Virginia, officials said. The …

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Missing Undefeated VA Football Coach Now Wanted On Child Porn Charges: Reports Missing Undefeated VA Football Coach Now Wanted On Child Porn Charges: Reports Missing Undefeated VA Football Coach Now Wanted On Child Porn Charges: Reports
Missing Undefeated VA Football Coach Now Wanted On Child Porn Charges: Reports New twists have emerged in the case of the missing and undefeated Virginia football coach, who is now wanted by authorities. Travis Lee Turner, 46, the head football coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, was first reported missing on Thursday, Nov. 20 by Virginia State Police, out of Wise County, where his team has rolled to a 12-0 record under its interim coach. His disappearance sent shockwaves through the community when Virginia State Police troopers couldn't find him at home in connection with an unrelated investigation. While his vanishing act has drawn public attention, T…

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by Zak Failla
Brooklyn Park, MD
Breaking News
Brooklyn Park Man Who Posed As Teen To Lure Girls As Young As 13 Into Sex Acts Learns Fate Brooklyn Park Man Who Posed As Teen To Lure Girls As Young As 13 Into Sex Acts Learns Fate Brooklyn Park Man Who Posed As Teen To Lure Girls As Young As 13 Into Sex Acts Learns Fate
Brooklyn Park Man Who Posed As Teen To Lure Girls As Young As 13 Into Sex Acts Learns Fate A 33-year-old Maryland man who targeted teen girls on social media to exchange drugs for sexual images and acts will spend decades in prison, federal authorities announced. Brooklyn Park resident Charles Anthony Forame IV pleaded guilty over the summer to federal child exploitation charges after he preyed on middle and high school students between the ages of 13 and 16. This week, a judge sentenced Forame to 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for child exploitation charges. According to his guilty plea, Forame posed as a 19-year-old on Snapchat to get his vict…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Obituaries
Shock In Maryland As 22-Year-Old Benjamin Mattingly Dies In Violent Bryantown Crash Shock In Maryland As 22-Year-Old Benjamin Mattingly Dies In Violent Bryantown Crash Shock In Maryland As 22-Year-Old Benjamin Mattingly Dies In Violent Bryantown Crash
Shock In Maryland As 22-Year-Old Benjamin Mattingly Dies In Violent Bryantown Crash A fatal crash that killed 22-year-old Maryland resident Benjamin Thomas Mattingly has left loved ones shattered as tributes pour in across Charles County. A 22-year-old Maryland man was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Bryantown at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, when his red Honda Accord went off the road and struck a tree, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Officers responded to the area of Olivers Shop Road and Edelen Drive, where they found the driver, Port Tobacco resident Mattingly, outside the car.  He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no passenge…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Body In ‘Advanced Decomposition’ Discovered In Frederick Wooded Area, Police Say Body In ‘Advanced Decomposition’ Discovered In Frederick Wooded Area, Police Say Body In ‘Advanced Decomposition’ Discovered In Frederick Wooded Area, Police Say
Body In ‘Advanced Decomposition’ Discovered In Frederick Wooded Area, Police Say A body in an advanced state of decomposition was found in a wooded area in Maryland on an unspecified date, according to police. Officers from the Frederick Police Department were called to the area off South East Street and Monocacy Boulevard, near the roundabout, where the remains were located by a person walking through the woods, investigators said.  Detectives interviewed the individual who reported the discovery, prompting a death investigation. Because of the condition of the body, investigators have not yet made a positive identification, they said. That process is underway, a…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Infant Found Dead In Waldorf Home; Father Charged With Murder, Police Say Infant Found Dead In Waldorf Home; Father Charged With Murder, Police Say Infant Found Dead In Waldorf Home; Father Charged With Murder, Police Say
Infant Found Dead In Waldorf Home; Father Charged With Murder, Police Say A 28-year-old Maryland father is behind bars after investigators say he was responsible for his infant daughter's death. Jordan Nathaniel Savoy was arrested by members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office following an investigation into his 4-year-old daughter's injuries after she was rushed to an area hospital. At around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, officers and paramedics responded to the 300 block of Barksdale Avenue in Waldorf, where there were reports of a child not breathing. Medical personnel attempted to render aid to the infant and transported her to Charles Regional Medical Ce…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Sentenced For Grisly Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Sentenced For Grisly Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Sentenced For Grisly Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring
Man Kicked Out Of Nightclub Sentenced For Grisly Parking Garage Murder In Silver Spring The shooter who opened fire on a group of people and killed a man after getting kicked out of a nightclub in Montgomery County will spend the rest of his life behind bars, authorities announced. In January, Ramone Christopher Ramsay, who has no known address, was found guilty of murder and other charges by a jury in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Baltimore resident Kymani Elijah Bailey in July 2023. Kymani Elijah Bailey Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office On Monday, Nov. 24, a judge sentenced Ramsay to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an add…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Chicken House Explodes In Flames, Leaving $300K In Damage Behind: Fire Marshal Maryland Chicken House Explodes In Flames, Leaving $300K In Damage Behind: Fire Marshal Maryland Chicken House Explodes In Flames, Leaving $300K In Damage Behind: Fire Marshal
Maryland Chicken House Explodes In Flames, Leaving $300K In Damage Behind: Fire Marshal Upward of $300,000 in damage was reported in Maryland when a chicken coop was burned to the ground during a weekend fire, officials say. First responders were called to the 3000 block of Barclay Road in Marydel shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, in Queen Anne's County, where a passerby reported seeing flames coming from the 60-foot by 600-foot chicken house. About 50 members of the Sudlersville Volunteer Fire Company worked for nearly an hour and a half to bring the fire under control. No one was hurt, and no chickens were inside at the time, investigators said. The fire started in…

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by Zak Failla
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