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

Obituaries

DC Community Grieves Slain 30-Year-Old Simon Getachew: ‘More Than a Friend, He Was Family’ A community is "in shock and deep sorrow" after 30-year-old Simon Getachew was gunned down in DC. Shortly after 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 3800 block of 9th Street SE, where they found Getachew suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Simon Getachew Metropolitan Police Department Now, friends and well-wishers are rallying around Getachew's family as they hope to honor someone described as "more than a friend — he was family to everyone who knew him." "He had a beautiful s…

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Brandywine, MD

Breaking News

Man Caught On Camera Planting Skimming Devices At Gas Station ATMs In Brandywine: Police A man with no fixed address was arrested after allegedly recording himself planting skimming devices at gas station ATMs in Maryland, police announced. The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit charged 34-year-old Pioter Fedorenko after investigators say he installed multiple skimmers and a camera at two Brandywine gas stations on Thursday, Oct. 2. According to detectives, Fedorenko was caught on video placing both a small camera and a skimming device on an ATM that day. Police said he hit two locations, installing a total of three devices within hours of each oth…

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Obituaries

‘He Made Everyone Feel Loved’: Virginia Father Remembered After Fatal Lynchburg Shooting A beloved Virginia husband and stepfather who was shot and killed is being remembered as a kindhearted soul who made everyone around him feel loved. Anthony Wayne “Tony” Cupec, 45, was fatally shot on the evening of Oct. 8 near Pierce Street and 12th Street, according to the Lynchburg Police Department. Investigators said officers responded around 9 p.m. for a report of shots fired and found Cupec suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said Cupec and another man had been arguing when the suspect, identified as 43-yea…

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Clear Spring-Hancock, MD

Breaking News

Hancock Man Calls 911 To Confess—Then Tries To Torch His Own House, Officials Say A Maryland man is under psychiatric evaluation after calling 911 in the middle of the night to say he was setting his own house on fire, authorities said. Just after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 15, 2025, firefighters and police were called to the 6100 block of Hess Road in Hancock, where a man later identified as the homeowner told dispatchers he was “going to set his house on fire,” according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. When officers arrived, they found the man continuing to try to ignite the home. Hancock Police took him into custody and used a fire extinguisher to put out the f…

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Leonardtown-California, MD

Breaking News

Leonardtown Lounge Mayhem: Police Arrest 24-Year-Old After Two Shot Outside Bar, Sheriff Says A man has been apprehended days after a late-night fight inside a popular Southern Maryland bar turned violent when shots rang out outside, sending two people to the hospital, authorities said. Shaekwon Talib Jackson, 24, is facing a host of charges following an investigation into a weekend shooting, authorities announced on Wednesday. Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Action Lounge and Billiards in the 25000 block of Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown for reports of a large fight involving multiple people, according …

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Abingdon, MD

Breaking News

Flames Erupt After Hot Coals Ignite Woodpile, Destroying Abingdon Family’s Home, Cars A Harford County family was displaced Tuesday evening after hot grill coals sparked a massive blaze that destroyed their home and two vehicles, fire officials said. Crews from the Abingdon Fire Company were called to the 420 block of Amy Drive shortly after 6 p.m. on Oct. 14, where they found flames shooting from a two-story home with an attached garage, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Officials said the fire started outside the garage after the homeowner placed used coals from a grill near a woodpile earlier in the day. A woman inside the home heard noises and went to …

by Zak Failla

10/15/2025

Potomac, MD

Breaking News

'Rhop' Star Wendy Osefo Resigns From Wesleyan University After Maryland Fraud Arrest: Reports "Real Housewives of Potomac" cast member Wendy Osefo has reportedly resigned from her position at Wesleyan University following her arrest in Maryland. Osefo, 40, and her husband Edward, 41, were both arrested on fraud charges stemming from an investigation in April 2024, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday, Oct. 10. According to multiple reports on Tuesday, she has resigned from her position at Wesleyan effective as of Oct. 14. She had been with the university in Connecticut since the fall of 2024 teaching classes on reality television and social issues called The Socio…

by Zak Failla

10/14/2025

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Ex-fbi Agent Who Used Fake Modeling Gigs, Gaithersburg Tattoo Studios To Rape Women Sentenced A former FBI agent from Maryland will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced for luring young women into his Montgomery County tattoo studios and raping them under the guise of modeling opportunities. Eduardo Valdivia, 41, of Gaithersburg, was found guilty on Friday, July 18 of a bevy of sex offenses by a jury in Montgomery County Circuit Court. On Tuesday, Oct. 14, authorities announced that Valdivia has been sentenced to 80 years in prison, with all but 60 years to serve. Valdivia, a former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI for over a decade, owned DC…

by Zak Failla

10/14/2025

Joppatowne, MD

Breaking News

Justice Served: Joppatowne High School Killer Learns Fate For Murdering Teen Classmate A Harford County teen who gunned down a classmate inside Joppatowne High School will spend most of his life behind bars. On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Jaylen Rushawn Prince was sentenced to life plus twenty years — suspending all but eighty years to serve — for the first-degree murder of Warren Grant and related charges, according to Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey. Prince was convicted by a jury in May for the Sept. 6, 2024, shooting that stunned the Joppatowne community. During sentencing, Healey read 10 victim impact statements from Grant’s loved ones, each describing the “crushing…

by Zak Failla

10/14/2025

Frederick, MD

Breaking News

‘He’ll Never Get Out’: Frederick Man Gets Life For Brutal Home Depot Stabbing The Maryland man who brutally stabbed his victim outside a Frederick Home Depot will never see the light of day, authorities announced. Santos Felipe Reyes Valle, 40, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Jose Pedro Hernandez in May 2023, according to the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office. Reyes Valle pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in June. On May 17, 2023, investigators say that members of the Frederick Police Department rushed to Home Depot on North McCain Drive, where there were reports of a man down who had been assaulted du…

by Zak Failla

10/14/2025

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