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

Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials
Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials A late-night fire at a popular Charles County hookah lounge was ruled incendiary after investigators determined someone deliberately set the blaze inside the business, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Firefighters were called around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, October 30, to the Pasha Lounge on Old Washington Road in Waldorf, where smoke was pouring from the front of the cigar and hookah spot, officials said. When crews from the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department arrived, they found the front door shattered and flames burning inside.  Nearly three dozen firefighters responded, br…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police
Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Two men from Maryland are behind bars after police found a massive stash of meth, fentanyl, and other drugs during a raid at a Washington County apartment, authorities announced. On Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, the Washington County Narcotics Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant on Wayside Avenue in Hagerstown, with help from the Maryland State Police and local police. Inside, agents uncovered what they described as a large-scale drug operation — seizing approximately 2.2 pounds of methamphetamine, 32 grams of fentanyl, 450 grams of MDMA, 99 grams of cocaine, and $4,589 in cash. Two …

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
On Your Side
End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly
End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly A longtime staple of the DMV dining scene has unexpectedly shuttered its doors.  Woodmont Grill on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda announced that it has closed in Montgomery County after more than a two decades serving diners in the region. The owners shared the surprising news on the restaurant's website. "Woodmont Grill is now closed," they wrote. "Thank you for choosing us as a dining destination and allowing us to be a part of your lives with many fond memories of good food and cheer." "We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again at one of our other restaurants." Originally bra…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle
Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Flora just proved that cats really do have nine lives — and one heck of a memory. A long-lost family pet from Virginia has been reunited with her original family 15 years after vanishing as a kitten, thanks to the tiniest piece of technology with the biggest heart: a microchip. According to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, Flora disappeared more than a decade ago when her family moved apartments.  One minute she was a playful kitten exploring boxes; the next, she was gone — no trace, no sightings, no closure. Her family searched everywhere, fearing she’d slipped out during the move…

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by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Your Community
Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’
Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson says the chamber will not move forward with mid-cycle congressional redistricting, calling the potential risks “too high” and the possible consequences for Democrats “catastrophic.” In a letter sent to members of his caucus, Ferguson said that after consulting with senators, he concluded that “the Senate is choosing not to move forward with mid-cycle congressional redistricting.” He cited several reasons — legal uncertainty, potential election delays, and the risk of triggering wider partisan retaliation across the country. “Despite deeply shared fru…

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by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says
Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says A Maryland man who allegedly threatened judges and his probation officer learned the hard way that deputies don’t take kindly to those kinds of promises. Members of the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Unit and Criminal Apprehension Team rolled up to the 1600 block of Twickenham Road around 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, to serve a violation of probation warrant on 37-year-old Joseph Scardina, officials said. That warrant was issued after Scardina allegedly made threats to injure or kill a state official, including his probation officer and county judges, according to th…

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by Zak Failla
Centreville, VA
Breaking News
Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say
Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say A man accused of running into traffic in Virginia allegedly tried to headbutt an officer, kick out a cruiser partition, and fight his way out of a patrol car before being restrained, police said. It happened shortly after 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, near James Madison Highway and Heathcote Boulevard in Haymarket, where officers found 27-year-old Gavin Michael Eveker of Centreville behaving erratically in the roadway, according to Prince William County Police. Investigators said Eveker appeared to be under the influence and had also damaged property at a nearby business before officers arriv…

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by Zak Failla
Potomac, MD
Weather
‘Real Housewives Of Potomac’ Star Nneka Ihim Stranded In Jamaica During Hurricane Melissa ‘Real Housewives Of Potomac’ Star Nneka Ihim Stranded In Jamaica During Hurricane Melissa ‘Real Housewives Of Potomac’ Star Nneka Ihim Stranded In Jamaica During Hurricane Melissa
‘Real Housewives Of Potomac’ Star Nneka Ihim Stranded In Jamaica During Hurricane Melissa Just days after sharing photos of her enjoying a vacation with her child in Jamaica, former Real Housewives of Potomac star Nneka Colleen Ihim found herself in an impossible position. The 38-year-old Boston native shared a video on Instagram from her resort in Jamaica, where she has been stranded as Hurricane Melissa batters the country with whipping winds and rain. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nneka Ihim, Esq. (@imnneka) "People have been messaging me, asking how and why I'm still in Jamaica," she said during her update. "We …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
The Game That Nearly Ended His Life May Have Saved It: Virginia’s ‘Mighty Myles’ Fights On The Game That Nearly Ended His Life May Have Saved It: Virginia’s ‘Mighty Myles’ Fights On The Game That Nearly Ended His Life May Have Saved It: Virginia’s ‘Mighty Myles’ Fights On
The Game That Nearly Ended His Life May Have Saved It: Virginia’s ‘Mighty Myles’ Fights On Small in size but mighty in heart, six-year-old Myles Chambers has already shown the kind of courage most adults spend a lifetime trying to find. A 6-year-old from Central Virginia and a rising football player with the Appomattox Raiders, Myles’ world changed in late September when a hit during practice led to stomach pain, vomiting, and what his family first thought was a stomach bug.  Within days, doctors discovered a large tumor had consumed his right kidney. It had ruptured internally during practice, causing dangerous bleeding. After an emergency blood transfusion and surgery on Sept.…

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by Zak Failla
Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Breaking News
Morning Madness: Naked Dumfries Man Chases Shoppers Through Walmart, Police Say Morning Madness: Naked Dumfries Man Chases Shoppers Through Walmart, Police Say Morning Madness: Naked Dumfries Man Chases Shoppers Through Walmart, Police Say
Morning Madness: Naked Dumfries Man Chases Shoppers Through Walmart, Police Say Morning errands took an unexpected turn for shoppers at a Virginia Walmart, where police say a 20-year-old man stripped completely naked and began chasing customers through the store. The incident happened just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Walmart on Richmond Highway in Dumfries, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Officers arrived to find the man — identified as Lance Irving Lesane Jr., of Dumfries — fully undressed and “chasing other customers inside the store,” police said. He was quickly detained and determined to be under the influence at the time, acco…

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by Zak Failla
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