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

Arlington, VA
Your Community
DC Mom Battles Rare Aggressive Breast Cancer As Support Surges: ‘Stand With Dafne’ DC Mom Battles Rare Aggressive Breast Cancer As Support Surges: ‘Stand With Dafne’ DC Mom Battles Rare Aggressive Breast Cancer As Support Surges: ‘Stand With Dafne’
DC Mom Battles Rare Aggressive Breast Cancer As Support Surges: ‘Stand With Dafne’ A mother of two in DC is fighting for her life after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer, and her community is rallying behind her as medical bills and missed work begin piling up. The Arias family is asking for prayers, support, and strength as a young mother begins treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a fundraiser created to help them in their fight. The GoFundMe, called “Stand with Dafne in Her Battle with Breast Cancer,” says she is a wife, a mother to two young daughters and a dedicated elementary school employee whose “warmth and compa…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Vet Learns Home Is Burning While Treating Pets On Her Birthday Virginia Vet Learns Home Is Burning While Treating Pets On Her Birthday Virginia Vet Learns Home Is Burning While Treating Pets On Her Birthday
Virginia Vet Learns Home Is Burning While Treating Pets On Her Birthday On the same afternoon she was treating other people’s pets — on her birthday — a Virginia veterinarian got the call no one expects: her home was on fire. Dr. Cady Johnston, an urgent care veterinarian at Summit Veterinary Care in Fairfax, was midway through her shift when her world “was turned upside down,” according to friend Morgan Guiffre, who described the moment in a fundraiser launched for the family. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews raced to the scene on Friday, Nov. 14, and got the flames under control quickly at the doctor's home, but the damage was already done. The home is u…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Thieves Turn Fairfax ATM Into Cash Spigot, Walk Off With $175K In High-Tech Heist, Police Say Thieves Turn Fairfax ATM Into Cash Spigot, Walk Off With $175K In High-Tech Heist, Police Say Thieves Turn Fairfax ATM Into Cash Spigot, Walk Off With $175K In High-Tech Heist, Police Say
Thieves Turn Fairfax ATM Into Cash Spigot, Walk Off With $175K In High-Tech Heist, Police Say A crew of high-tech thieves turned a Virginia ATM into a late-night cash geyser, walking away with $175,000 after cracking open the machine, filming themselves, and forcing it to spit out bills without ever inserting a card, according to Fairfax County Police. Detectives say the group hit the Apple Federal Credit Union ATM on Members Way near Fair Oaks three separate times in one night, using a scheme known as ATM jackpotting — a cyber-physical attack that makes a machine “rapidly dispense cash on command,” similar to hitting a slot machine jackpot. Police released images showing the suspec…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Florida Man Sparks Chaos In Leesburg After Waving Gun Outside Business, Cops Say Florida Man Sparks Chaos In Leesburg After Waving Gun Outside Business, Cops Say Florida Man Sparks Chaos In Leesburg After Waving Gun Outside Business, Cops Say
Florida Man Sparks Chaos In Leesburg After Waving Gun Outside Business, Cops Say A Florida man learned the hard way that drunkenly waving a handgun in front of a business after being escorted out is not tolerated in Virginia. Orlando native Jon Holland, 42, was arrested in Loudoun County following a strange scene that played out at a Leesburg business and landed him behind bars, according to the police. Shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, officers from the Leesburg Police Department were called to the 500 block of E. Market Street, where there were reports of an intoxicated man who brandished a firearm after being escorted out. Upon arrival, it was determined t…

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by Zak Failla
Taneytown-Union Bridge, MD
Breaking News
Taneytown Couple Loses Home And Dog After Fast-Moving Fire Tears Through House Taneytown Couple Loses Home And Dog After Fast-Moving Fire Tears Through House Taneytown Couple Loses Home And Dog After Fast-Moving Fire Tears Through House
Taneytown Couple Loses Home And Dog After Fast-Moving Fire Tears Through House A Maryland couple is facing an unimaginable future after a fire tore through their home, claiming the life of a beloved dog.  Fire crews in Carroll County were called to the one-story home on the 4100 block of McMullen Road in Taneytown around 4:40 PM on Nov. 14, officials said.  The homeowner discovered the fire, and Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department arrived to find flames coming from the bathroom area. Because the fire moved quickly, firefighters from Pleasant Valley and surrounding companies rushed to the scene. An estimated 65 firefighters worked to get the blaze und…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Teen Driven From NJ To Olney, Gagged, Murdered With Machete In MS-13 Hit, Officials Say Teen Driven From NJ To Olney, Gagged, Murdered With Machete In MS-13 Hit, Officials Say Teen Driven From NJ To Olney, Gagged, Murdered With Machete In MS-13 Hit, Officials Say
Teen Driven From NJ To Olney, Gagged, Murdered With Machete In MS-13 Hit, Officials Say A teenager who was driven from New Jersey to Maryland, marched into the woods, gagged, and hacked to death with a machete at the direction of MS-13 — was found four months later in a shallow grave, according to Montgomery County prosecutors. Now her perpetrators are facing justice. In Montgomery County, a judge has convicted 24-year-old Iris Yudella Alonzo-Salgado for her role in the murder of 18-year-old Rosa Sanchez Merino, whose grisly death made national headlines. Alonzo-Salgado is one of four charged in connection with the death of the teen in May 2023. According to court documents,…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Officer Killed In Violent Inmate Attack Inside State Prison, VADOC Says Virginia Officer Killed In Violent Inmate Attack Inside State Prison, VADOC Says Virginia Officer Killed In Violent Inmate Attack Inside State Prison, VADOC Says
Virginia Officer Killed In Violent Inmate Attack Inside State Prison, Vadoc Says A Virginia corrections officer was killed Monday morning in a violent attack inside River North Correctional Center, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections. Officers were called around 7:53 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, to the state prison in Independence, where an inmate attacked two staff members, officials said. One officer was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead. A second officer was also assaulted and taken for outside medical treatment, according to VADOC. State officials said the prison remained secure after the attack. “Our agency and the entire Commonwealth are…

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by Zak Failla
Clinton, MD
Breaking News
Massive Pre-Dawn Fire Shuts Down Rail Service, Damages Commercial Site In PG County Massive Pre-Dawn Fire Shuts Down Rail Service, Damages Commercial Site In PG County Massive Pre-Dawn Fire Shuts Down Rail Service, Damages Commercial Site In PG County
Massive Pre-Dawn Fire Shuts Down Rail Service, Damages Commercial Site In PG County A massive pre-dawn fire tore through a commercial property in Maryland on Monday, shutting down rail traffic and sending thick smoke across the area as crews battled the blaze for hours. Firefighters were called at 4:23 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, to the 2000 block of Kenilworth Avenue in Tuxedo, where an outside fire had already pushed deep into a commercial building and several trailers, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS said. With strong winds and heavy fire conditions, a second alarm was ordered, sending dozens of firefighters to the area. Crews poured water onto the burning structures as sm…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Man Stabbed, Robbed By Three Suspects Before Fleeing To Lexington Park Firehouse: Sheriff Man Stabbed, Robbed By Three Suspects Before Fleeing To Lexington Park Firehouse: Sheriff Man Stabbed, Robbed By Three Suspects Before Fleeing To Lexington Park Firehouse: Sheriff
Man Stabbed, Robbed By Three Suspects Before Fleeing To Lexington Park Firehouse: Sheriff A 20-year-old Maryland man ran bleeding into a local firehouse Sunday night after deputies say he was robbed and stabbed by three suspects in Lexington Park. St. Mary’s County deputies were first called around 9:35 p.m. to Spyglass Way for reports of a man being chased.  A few minutes later, they got another call — this time from the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, where the victim showed up with stab wounds to his upper body. Witnesses told deputies they saw “three people chasing a single individual” moments before the stabbing, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputi…

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by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Pasadena Couple Shot Dead; Suspect Caught After Police Chase, Officials Say Pasadena Couple Shot Dead; Suspect Caught After Police Chase, Officials Say Pasadena Couple Shot Dead; Suspect Caught After Police Chase, Officials Say
Pasadena Couple Shot Dead; Suspect Caught After Police Chase, Officials Say A Maryland couple was shot and killed Sunday afternoon, and the suspect — who police say knew both victims — was arrested hours later after fleeing officers during a pursuit. Officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department were called shortly before 2 p.m. on Nov. 16 to the 1700 block of Twickenham Road in Pasadena, where they found Jeanna Hayes, 54, and William Hayes, 56, suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Both Pasadena residents were pronounced dead at the scene by fire personnel. During the investigation, detectives identified 61-year-old Nottingham resident Anthony …

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by Zak Failla
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