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

Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Dispute In Tesla Spills Onto Downtown Silver Spring Street, Turns Deadly For Relatives: Police Dispute In Tesla Spills Onto Downtown Silver Spring Street, Turns Deadly For Relatives: Police Dispute In Tesla Spills Onto Downtown Silver Spring Street, Turns Deadly For Relatives: Police
Dispute In Tesla Spills Onto Downtown Silver Spring Street, Turns Deadly For Relatives: Police A Maryland man was killed by a relative during a fight in downtown Silver Spring on Friday afternoon, police say. Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called shortly after 2 p.m. on Nov. 21 the area of Richmond Avenue and Fenton Street, where there were reports of shots fired, with one person down. Upon arrival, officers found Babacar Mbengue, lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. During the investigation into the shooting, a relative, 20-year-old Laurel resident Fallou …

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Man In Wrong-Way I-270 Chase With Kids Escapes Hospital Before Re-Arrest: Frederick Sheriff Man In Wrong-Way I-270 Chase With Kids Escapes Hospital Before Re-Arrest: Frederick Sheriff Man In Wrong-Way I-270 Chase With Kids Escapes Hospital Before Re-Arrest: Frederick Sheriff
Man In Wrong-Way I-270 Chase With Kids Escapes Hospital Before Re-Arrest: Frederick Sheriff A Maryland man played bumper cars with members of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office during a wild wrong-way pursuit before attempting to escape custody from the hospital, officials say. Idlewylde resident Cory Thomas Burkhardt, 37, did his best to avoid being apprehended, but found himself behind bars after a police pursuit that started in Frederick and spanned into Montgomery County. Deputies said the chaos started around 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, when a Frederick County deputy spotted a reckless driver heading south on US Route 15 near Rosemont Avenue. The driver — later identified …

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
On Your Side
Serial Harford County Shoplifter Confesses To Daily Theft Spree To Support Drug Habit: Sheriff Serial Harford County Shoplifter Confesses To Daily Theft Spree To Support Drug Habit: Sheriff Serial Harford County Shoplifter Confesses To Daily Theft Spree To Support Drug Habit: Sheriff
Serial Harford County Shoplifter Confesses To Daily Theft Spree To Support Drug Habit: Sheriff A Maryland woman who deputies say treated retail stores like her own personal ATM has been arrested after admitting she stole hundreds of dollars every day to fuel her drug habit. Halethorpe resident Paulaina Nechay, 34, was arrested after admitting to a series of shoplifting incidents that she then flipped at an area gas station, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The scheme unraveled late last month, when a deputy responded to a report of a past theft when a woman stole more than $1,100 worth of clothes in the Festival Shopping Center before fleeing the area in a vehicle. …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Murder Suspect Caught After More Than A Year On The Streets: Police Baltimore Murder Suspect Caught After More Than A Year On The Streets: Police Baltimore Murder Suspect Caught After More Than A Year On The Streets: Police
Baltimore Murder Suspect Caught After More Than A Year On The Streets: Police More than a year after a man was gunned down in Baltimore, police announced that a suspect has been apprehended. Tirrell Evans, 38, was arrested and charged with the murder of 42-year-old Richard Evans, who was shot and killed in the Western District last year, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024, officers were called to the 1300 block of North Calhoun Street to investigate reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, they found Richard Evans suffering from multiple life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was rushed by paramedics to an area hospit…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Your Community
Gaithersburg Rallies To Bring Holiday Support To Family Of Young Father Killed In Crash Gaithersburg Rallies To Bring Holiday Support To Family Of Young Father Killed In Crash Gaithersburg Rallies To Bring Holiday Support To Family Of Young Father Killed In Crash
Gaithersburg Rallies To Bring Holiday Support To Family Of Young Father Killed In Crash A Maryland community is looking to bring some holiday warmth to the young family of Jonathon “Jonny” Burgess, a beloved father, husband, and city employee who was killed in a tragic motorcycle crash earlier this year. The City of Gaithersburg is showing what community really looks like after the sudden loss of Burgess, 36, who was struck and killed while riding his motorcycle on May 7, on his way to work, according to his obituary. Burgess was known for his hard work, his bright smile, and the way he could lift any room, coworkers said. He was a key member of the City’s Department of Public…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Man Sold Gun Used To Shoot Estranged Wife Four Times, Jury Finds Maryland Man Sold Gun Used To Shoot Estranged Wife Four Times, Jury Finds Maryland Man Sold Gun Used To Shoot Estranged Wife Four Times, Jury Finds
Maryland Man Sold Gun Used To Shoot Estranged Wife Four Times, Jury Finds The Maryland man who sold the gun and ammo used by a gunman to shoot his estranged wife multiple times has been convicted, authorities announced. Salisbury resident Terrance Terrone White, Jr., 35, was convicted of two counts of illegal possession of a regulated firearm following a three-day trial, according to the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office. He was also found guilty of a firearm straw purchase in connection with a shooting in November last year. According to prosecutors, on Nov. 16, 2024, White sold a gun to Dequan Bratten, who later that day shot his estranged wife four ti…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Obituaries
Virginia Father-To-Be Dies After On-The-Job Medical Emergency Weeks Before Baby’s Birth Virginia Father-To-Be Dies After On-The-Job Medical Emergency Weeks Before Baby’s Birth Virginia Father-To-Be Dies After On-The-Job Medical Emergency Weeks Before Baby’s Birth
Virginia Father-To-Be Dies After On-The-Job Medical Emergency Weeks Before Baby’s Birth Austin Robert Deak had just turned 23, was settling into married life, and was weeks away from meeting his son when everything changed in the span of a few minutes at a job site in Virginia. The father-to-be collapsed at work on Monday, Nov. 17, weeks before the "country boy" who loved the outdoors was set to welcome his son to the world.  "I am at a loss for words. Monday morning, I got a call that Austin had a medical emergency at work. Austin collapsed on the job site, and the reason is still unknown. I am in shock, as is the rest of his family and friends," wife Hayley Mayhugh Deak said…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Obituaries
Young DC Father Killed In I-95 Virginia Crash Was 'Hardworking, Full Of Dreams,' Family Says Young DC Father Killed In I-95 Virginia Crash Was 'Hardworking, Full Of Dreams,' Family Says Young DC Father Killed In I-95 Virginia Crash Was 'Hardworking, Full Of Dreams,' Family Says
Young DC Father Killed In I-95 Virginia Crash Was 'Hardworking, Full Of Dreams,' Family Says Diego Murgia Ramos left home Wednesday morning to work hard and provide for his family. By the afternoon, the 23-year-old father was gone. Virginia State Police said Murgia Ramos was killed in a single-vehicle crash on I-95 in Greensville County after his tractor-trailer ran off the road, struck trees, and overturned around 2 p.m. on Nov. 19.  The crash happened near the 12-mile marker at the Route 301 exit, according to troopers. Police said the driver was ejected and died at the scene. No other vehicles were involved. Murgia Ramos’ family is now left shattered, struggling to bring …

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Head-On Crash On Maryland Route 291 Kills 85-Year-Old Man, Injures Two: State Police Head-On Crash On Maryland Route 291 Kills 85-Year-Old Man, Injures Two: State Police Head-On Crash On Maryland Route 291 Kills 85-Year-Old Man, Injures Two: State Police
Head-On Crash On Maryland Route 291 Kills 85-Year-Old Man, Injures Two: State Police An 85-year-old man was killed when his car crossed the center line and slammed head-on into two pickup trucks on a rural Kent County road, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers said Charles Ekstrom, 85, of Suddlersville, was driving a Toyota Camry on Maryland Route 291 when he drifted over the double-yellow line and hit two trucks around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, near Maiden Lot Farm Lane. Ekstrom was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. According to investigators, the Camry was heading west when it “crossed the double yellow center line, traveling into the eastbound lane,”…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Weather
Maryland’s First Cold-Related Death Of Winter Confirmed In Frederick As Temperatures Drop Maryland’s First Cold-Related Death Of Winter Confirmed In Frederick As Temperatures Drop Maryland’s First Cold-Related Death Of Winter Confirmed In Frederick As Temperatures Drop
Maryland’s First Cold-Related Death Of Winter Confirmed In Frederick As Temperatures Drop Maryland’s first cold-related death of the winter season has been confirmed in Frederick County, state health officials said Friday, Nov. 21. According to the Maryland Department of Health, the victim was a man between 30 and 40 years old. No other details were released. Officials said the early-season death is a reminder of how quickly cold weather can turn dangerous.  They’re encouraging Maryland residents to limit time outside and bundle up in layers to avoid hypothermia and frostbite. Areas most at risk include the ears, fingertips, toes, cheeks, and the nose. Those who need a wa…

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by Zak Failla
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