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

Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say
All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say A Virginia woman accused of breaking into a neighbor’s apartment and grabbing an officer during her arrest didn’t seem too bothered about it afterward. Police say Abnet Tseggiai, 39, was all smiles in her booking photo after being taken into custody on Saturday, Oct. 11, following a late-night incident at the Landing at Mason’s Bridge Apartments in Woodbridge. According to the Prince William County Police Department, officers were called around 9:36 p.m. to investigate a reported burglary.  When they arrived, they found a woman “who appeared intoxicated” inside a neighboring apartment…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Obituaries
‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash ‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash ‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash
‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash More than $75,000 has been raised for the family of 11-year-old Summer Lim, who was struck and killed by a school bus in Maryland. Lim was struck by a Montgomery County Public Schools bus shortly before 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, while she was riding her bike home from Earle B. Wood Middle School. Investigators say that a 2019 Thomas school bus was traveling eastbound on Bauer Drive and was turning right onto southbound Russett Road when the crash happened. Lim was also traveling eastbound on Bauer Drive when the collision occurred. She was later found in the back of the bus. She was…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Obituaries
‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness ‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness ‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness
‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness The Prince George’s County Police Department is mourning one of its own after Officer First Class Alex Belcher — a seven-year veteran remembered for his warmth, dedication, and quiet strength — passed away on Oct. 8, following what the department called “a hard-fought medical battle.” Belcher, 32, spent his entire career serving District I in Hyattsville, most recently with Shift 4, Squad 42, and was a proud member of Academy Session 139. Belcher earned multiple letters of commendation, a Unit Citation, and a Life Saving Award. He was named Officer of the Month multiple times and was recen…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff
Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff A Virginia driver is facing charges after authorities say he plowed into two state police vehicles — seriously injuring a trooper who had been helping with a disabled tractor-trailer on the side of the highway. The crash happened shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, along the southbound lanes of US Highway 29 in Pittsylvania County, according to Virginia State Police. Two troopers were stopped with their emergency lights flashing, helping a disabled tractor-trailer on the shoulder when a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser suddenly slammed into the rear patrol car. The impact forced that cruiser f…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff
Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff An alleged conman from New York posing as a lawyer who tried to bilk an elderly Virginia woman out of thousands of dollars was arrested after being conned himself in Pennsylvania, police say. Bronx native Yordanys Rodriguez, 33, is behind bars in Chester, following an investigation by the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office into a botched scheme targeting an 82-year-old woman for $20,000. Detectives say it started when the Virginia woman got a phone call from someone claiming to be an attorney named “Harvey Goldman,” who said her son had been locked up on serious charges and needed bail m…

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by Zak Failla
Essex, MD
Breaking News
Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say
Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Two teens were killed when a car veered off the road and slammed into a tree in Essex overnight, according to Baltimore County Police. The victims have been identified as 18-year-old Austin Lautenschlager and 19-year-old David Santos III, who were both pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Officers were called around 12:50 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, to the 2200 block of Holly Neck Road for a reported single-vehicle crash involving a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, according to investigators. Detectives determined the Malibu had been traveling westbound when it left the roadway and struck at least o…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing
Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing A 45-year-old Baltimore man with a long criminal history has been charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting that claimed the life of another man in the city’s Southern District, police announced Saturday, Oct. 11. According to the Baltimore Police Department, Devin Ash was arrested in the killing of 35-year-old Marlon Pugh, who was gunned down on Sept. 30, in the 3700 block of 5th Street. Officers were called to the area around 3:27 p.m. for a report of gunfire.  When they arrived, they found Pugh suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his body. He was transported to…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Undocumented Immigrant Drove 18-Wheeler Using New York License Issued To ‘No Name’: ICE Undocumented Immigrant Drove 18-Wheeler Using New York License Issued To ‘No Name’: ICE Undocumented Immigrant Drove 18-Wheeler Using New York License Issued To ‘No Name’: ICE
Undocumented Immigrant Drove 18-Wheeler Using New York License Issued To ‘No Name’: ICE An immigrant from India was caught hauling an 18-wheeler across Oklahoma using a New York commercial driver’s license issued to “No Name Given Anmol,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. ICE announced the arrest of Anmol Anmol, who entered the country illegally in 2023 and was later released by the Biden administration, authorities said.  He was taken into custody after a routine inspection at a truck scale along I-40 by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on September 23, 2025, according to DHS. Records checks revealed that Anmol was living in the United States illegally. He ha…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
‘Family Matters’ Star Darius McCrary Arrested Near US-Mexico Border, Reports Say ‘Family Matters’ Star Darius McCrary Arrested Near US-Mexico Border, Reports Say ‘Family Matters’ Star Darius McCrary Arrested Near US-Mexico Border, Reports Say
‘Family Matters’ Star Darius McCrary Arrested Near Us-mexico Border, Reports Say "Family Matters" star Darius McCrary was arrested near the US-Mexico border in California, according to multiple reports. McCrary was taken into custody by the US Border Patrol under a "fugitive arrest" over an out-of-state felony warrant. TMZ reported that the warrant was out of Michigan due to him missing a court appearance involving unpaid child support. The 49-year-old is being held in a San Diego jail without bail. According to the report, McCrary was married to Tammy Brawner before a contentious divorce, and he was ordered to pay nearly $1,500 per month in child support. M…

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
Brawl Inside Leonardtown Lounge Ends In Gunfire; Two Shot As Crowd Flees, Police Say Brawl Inside Leonardtown Lounge Ends In Gunfire; Two Shot As Crowd Flees, Police Say Brawl Inside Leonardtown Lounge Ends In Gunfire; Two Shot As Crowd Flees, Police Say
Brawl Inside Leonardtown Lounge Ends In Gunfire; Two Shot As Crowd Flees, Police Say 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. 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 to officials. While deputies were en route, calls came in reporting gunfire. When officers arrived, they found the crowd scattering as people ran from the parking lot. Detectives fr…

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by Zak Failla
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