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

Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Ex-Deputy Supplied Explosives, Know-How To Annapolis Hunter Facing 64 Felony Charges: Police Ex-Deputy Supplied Explosives, Know-How To Annapolis Hunter Facing 64 Felony Charges: Police Ex-Deputy Supplied Explosives, Know-How To Annapolis Hunter Facing 64 Felony Charges: Police
Ex-Deputy Supplied Explosives, Know-How To Annapolis Hunter Facing 64 Felony Charges: Police The explosives that helped trigger 64 felony charges in Maryland earlier this year allegedly came with some expert guidance. Now, a former Prince George's County Sheriff's Office K-9 handler is accused of providing both. Micah Y. Sam, 51, of Brandywine, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 2, after Anne Arundel County fire investigators linked him to an explosives investigation that began months earlier at a home in the 1200 block of Blackwalnut Lane in Annapolis. Investigators allege Sam supplied explosive materials to Lee Scott Wygal Ralston, 37, along with information and technical guidance…

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by Zak Failla
Indian Head-Nanjemoy, MD
Breaking News
Blake Greenwell, 24, ID'd As Driver Killed In Three-Vehicle Indian Head Highway Crash (UPDATED) Blake Greenwell, 24, ID'd As Driver Killed In Three-Vehicle Indian Head Highway Crash (UPDATED) Blake Greenwell, 24, ID'd As Driver Killed In Three-Vehicle Indian Head Highway Crash (UPDATED)
Blake Greenwell, 24, ID'd As Driver Killed In Three-Vehicle Indian Head Highway Crash (Updated) The man killed in a three-vehicle Maryland crash has been identified. Blake Greenwell, 24, of Waldorf, died in the collision at Indian Head Highway and Palmer Road in Fort Washington shortly before 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, Prince George’s County Police said in an update Thursday. Greenwell was driving one of two sedans that were heading north on Indian Head Highway as an SUV traveled south toward the intersection, according to the preliminary investigation. For reasons that remain under investigation, all three vehicles collided at the intersection. Greenwell died at the scene. H…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Family Plan: Father-Daughter Pilots' Chance Encounter At Dulles Takes Hilarious Turn Family Plan: Father-Daughter Pilots' Chance Encounter At Dulles Takes Hilarious Turn Family Plan: Father-Daughter Pilots' Chance Encounter At Dulles Takes Hilarious Turn
Family Plan: Father-Daughter Pilots' Chance Encounter At Dulles Takes Hilarious Turn A father and daughter who followed the same career path found themselves sharing something else this week: a radio frequency at Washington Dulles International Airport. The two pilots crossed paths while preparing for separate flights out of the Virginia airport, turning an otherwise ordinary exchange with air traffic control into 45 seconds of family banter that Dulles later shared online. POV: You run into your dad at work. It was a @United family reunion on the runway this week. pic.twitter.com/IATAg4jzrf — Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) September 3, 2026 It started with jus…

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by Zak Failla
Lanham-Seabrook, MD
Breaking News
Lanham Man Dies Days After Assault, Sending Maryland Suspect Back Behind Bars Lanham Man Dies Days After Assault, Sending Maryland Suspect Back Behind Bars Lanham Man Dies Days After Assault, Sending Maryland Suspect Back Behind Bars
Lanham Man Dies Days After Assault, Sending Maryland Suspect Back Behind Bars A 32-year-old man is back in custody after his victim died days after a violent assault in Maryland, police say. Jaylin James McConnaughey was initially arrested on Friday, Aug. 28, in Howard County after he allegedly struck Lanham resident Tevin Jarrett Sesker during an altercation. According to the Howard County Police Department, the two knew each other and were in the 8800 block of Greenwood Place when the assault took place, causing Sesker to strike his head. Sesker was transported to Shock Trauma in critical condition. McConnaughey was arrested and released on a $10,000 bond. Then t…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
‘Little Oscar’ Made The Dirtiest Jobs Fun, Now His VA Crew Is Missing Its 'Exceptional' Painter ‘Little Oscar’ Made The Dirtiest Jobs Fun, Now His VA Crew Is Missing Its 'Exceptional' Painter ‘Little Oscar’ Made The Dirtiest Jobs Fun, Now His VA Crew Is Missing Its 'Exceptional' Painter
‘Little Oscar’ Made The Dirtiest Jobs Fun, Now His VA Crew Is Missing Its 'Exceptional' Painter Óscar Ávalos had a way of making even the dirtiest job a good time. The Northern Virginia painter was constantly sharing the latest photos and videos of his college-age daughter and kindergarten-age son, one of the small things friends are remembering after Ávalos was killed in a car crash on Wednesday, Sept. 2. To the people who worked alongside him, Ávalos was “Little Oscar,” an "exceptional" painter whose personality could turn a grimy home renovation into something that felt more like an episode of HGTV. “He had a happy crew because everyone was happy in Oscar's presence,” Carolyn Wixs…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Tractor-Trailer Crash Backs Up Traffic For Miles On I-95 In Virginia (UPDATED) Tractor-Trailer Crash Backs Up Traffic For Miles On I-95 In Virginia (UPDATED) Tractor-Trailer Crash Backs Up Traffic For Miles On I-95 In Virginia (UPDATED)
Tractor-Trailer Crash Backs Up Traffic For Miles On I-95 In Virginia (Updated) A lunchtime mess on I-95 is getting worse in Virginia. A tractor-trailer crash near Exit 140 at Courthouse Road in Stafford County has shut down two of the interstate's three northbound lanes on Thursday, Sept. 3, leaving traffic backed up for approximately five miles, according to the latest VDOT update. As of 1:12 p.m., the northbound center lane, right lane, and right shoulder remained closed at mile marker 140.4. Only the left travel lane was open. VDOT classified the crash as a high-priority incident as congestion continued building behind the scene. The backup had already stretched…

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by Zak Failla
Springfield, VA
Obituaries
Virginia Father 'Was Not A Person Of Many Words,' But 'Showed Up' Before Unexpected Death At 26 Virginia Father 'Was Not A Person Of Many Words,' But 'Showed Up' Before Unexpected Death At 26 Virginia Father 'Was Not A Person Of Many Words,' But 'Showed Up' Before Unexpected Death At 26
Virginia Father 'Was Not A Person Of Many Words,' But 'Showed Up' Before Unexpected Death At 26 Some people don't need many words to make their presence felt. That's how loved ones are remembering Virginia father Jeacson Davi Caravantes Hernandez, who died unexpectedly on Monday, Aug. 31, at just 26 years old. His father, Henry Caravantes of Springfield, launched a GoFundMe following his son's sudden death as the family faces an unimaginable loss. Jeacson leaves behind two children, Micheal and Kiara, who his father said were at the center of his life. Above everything else, he was a devoted dad. Jeacson spent the past five years working as a project manager at Design Pro, where hi…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Road Rage Shooting That Shut Down I-695 Leads To Arrest In Anne Arundel County: Police Road Rage Shooting That Shut Down I-695 Leads To Arrest In Anne Arundel County: Police Road Rage Shooting That Shut Down I-695 Leads To Arrest In Anne Arundel County: Police
Road Rage Shooting That Shut Down I-695 Leads To Arrest In Anne Arundel County: Police A road rage encounter on a Maryland highway allegedly ended with a driver firing into another vehicle and shutting down a busy highway. Brandon Allison, 40, of Baltimore, was arrested after the shooting on the Outer Loop of I-695 near Maryland Route 295 in Anne Arundel County on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 2, according to Maryland State Police. The gunfire was reported shortly after 2 p.m., prompting a police response that ultimately shut down part of the Beltway for about an hour. Police say Allison was driving a Chrysler Pacifica when he became involved in a road rage incident with the dr…

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by Zak Failla
North Potomac, MD
Breaking News
Students Taken Into Custody After Knife, BB Gun Found At Magruder High School: Police Students Taken Into Custody After Knife, BB Gun Found At Magruder High School: Police Students Taken Into Custody After Knife, BB Gun Found At Magruder High School: Police
Students Taken Into Custody After Knife, BB Gun Found At Magruder High School: Police It was an unsettling start to the school day. Two students were taken into custody following separate weapons incidents at a Maryland high school on Thursday morning, Sept. 3, temporarily disrupting classes before one 15-year-old was charged, police said. The incidents unfolded at Magruder High School in Rockville, where Montgomery County Public Schools placed the building in a hold status as officers investigated. Shortly after 9:20 a.m., Montgomery County Police announced that two students were in custody following two separate incidents and that weapons had been recovered. More details…

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by Zak Failla
Bowie, MD
On Your Side
Bowie Insurance Agent Used Hispanic Names In Scam Because He Thought They Were Undocumented: AG Bowie Insurance Agent Used Hispanic Names In Scam Because He Thought They Were Undocumented: AG Bowie Insurance Agent Used Hispanic Names In Scam Because He Thought They Were Undocumented: AG
Bowie Insurance Agent Used Hispanic Names In Scam Because He Thought They Were Undocumented: AG The logic behind the scam was as cynical as it was calculated. A former Prince George's County insurance agent has pleaded guilty in Maryland after admitting he submitted fake life insurance applications using Hispanic surnames because he believed they would draw less scrutiny, according to the Attorney General's Office. Corrie Dewayne Alston, 51, of Bowie, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 2, to felony theft scheme and felony insurance fraud in Prince George's County Circuit Court. The plea comes months after investigators first revealed the reasoning they say Alston gave for choosing th…

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by Zak Failla
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