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

Towson, MD
Breaking News
‘Each Day Brings New Challenges’: Maryland Family Battles ALS With Community’s Help ‘Each Day Brings New Challenges’: Maryland Family Battles ALS With Community’s Help ‘Each Day Brings New Challenges’: Maryland Family Battles ALS With Community’s Help
‘Each Day Brings New Challenges’: Maryland Family Battles ALS With Community’s Help A Maryland family is leaning on the community as they face the devastating impact of ALS. Stephen Varelli was diagnosed with the disease nearly two years ago and is now wheelchair-bound, his loved ones said. That has put the weight of the world on his wife, Karen, who has become his primary caregiver. Karen has been balancing Stephen’s daily needs while still caring for their home and family. “As Stephen’s needs grow, Karen may need to hire outside caregivers for help—whether for respite, or if she needs to return to work,” supporters wrote. Stephen & Karen Varelli GoFundM…

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by Zak Failla
Edgewood, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Detectives Crack 2007 Edgewood Cold Case — Suspect Was On Their Radar All Along Maryland Detectives Crack 2007 Edgewood Cold Case — Suspect Was On Their Radar All Along Maryland Detectives Crack 2007 Edgewood Cold Case — Suspect Was On Their Radar All Along
Maryland Detectives Crack 2007 Edgewood Cold Case — Suspect Was On Their Radar All Along A nearly 20-year-old cold in Maryland has finally been cracked — and the suspect is the same person that investigators initially identified. Already behind bars, Edgewood resident Gary Williams has now been indicted on charges related to the fatal stabbing of David Arnold Byrd Jr. in 2007, according to authorities. Deputies from the Harford County Sheriff's Office were called on Aug. 26, 2007 to the 1900 block of Edgewater Drive in Edgewood, where they found Byrd suffering from a stab wound to his upper body. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Detect…

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by Zak Failla
Severn, MD
Breaking News
Bullets Rip Through Homes In Severn; Three Teens, Man Now Facing Charges, Police Say Bullets Rip Through Homes In Severn; Three Teens, Man Now Facing Charges, Police Say Bullets Rip Through Homes In Severn; Three Teens, Man Now Facing Charges, Police Say
Bullets Rip Through Homes In Severn; Three Teens, Man Now Facing Charges, Police Say Three teens were implicated in a shooting incident over the summer and are now facing charges in Maryland, authorities announced on Thursday. Anne Arundel County Police say three 15-year-olds and a 25-year-old Brooklyn, Maryland, man, Darren Raul Donastorg, are all facing various charges after homes were sprayed with bullets in Severn in July, with detectives later seizing guns, drugs, and hundreds of Suboxone strips. On July 7, 2025, at approximately 4:20 p.m., officers responded to the 8100 block of Meade Village Road for a destruction of property complaint, according to police. Multiple …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
Judge Rejects Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Asylum Bid As Removal Order Stands In Maryland Judge Rejects Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Asylum Bid As Removal Order Stands In Maryland Judge Rejects Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Asylum Bid As Removal Order Stands In Maryland
Judge Rejects Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Asylum Bid As Removal Order Stands In Maryland An immigration judge has rejected a motion from Kilmar Abrego Garcia's attorneys to reopen his 2019 asylum case, and now the Maryland man and alleged MS-13 gang member faces deportation — again. The Salvadoran faced immediate deportation to Uganda — a country he has no ties to — his lawyers noted.  However, the judge reportedly found 'insufficient evidence" to suggest the Trump administration planned to send him there, according to the Washington Post. Today, @Sec_Noem announced that ICE arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He will be processed for removal to Uganda.🧵Sanctuary politician…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
Decorated Army Vet Patrick Fatuesi Dies After Cancer Battle, To Be Buried At Arlington Cemetery Decorated Army Vet Patrick Fatuesi Dies After Cancer Battle, To Be Buried At Arlington Cemetery Decorated Army Vet Patrick Fatuesi Dies After Cancer Battle, To Be Buried At Arlington Cemetery
Decorated Army Vet Patrick Fatuesi Dies After Cancer Battle, To Be Buried At Arlington Cemetery The military community is mourning the loss of SGM (Ret.) Patrick Fatuesi, a decorated US Army veteran who died at 60 after a sudden battle with stage 4 stomach cancer. Fatuesi was admitted to the hospital on Sept. 4 and given just two weeks to live, his family said, but in typical soldier fashion, he made it four weeks, surrounded by loved ones before his death. SGM Patrick Fatuesi GoFundMe He will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. “Luka S. Fatuesi and I along with several others who loved him were able to travel and spend time with him before his passing," Melan…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
‘Cold, Calculated Execution’: Gunman Gets Life In Waldorf Murder Case ‘Cold, Calculated Execution’: Gunman Gets Life In Waldorf Murder Case ‘Cold, Calculated Execution’: Gunman Gets Life In Waldorf Murder Case
‘Cold, Calculated Execution’: Gunman Gets Life In Waldorf Murder Case Weeks after being convicted of killing a man, Jermane Christopher Stringer has been sentenced to life in prison. Last month, a Charles County jury found Stringer, 39, guilty of first-degree murder in the 2021 killing of Arick Jordan Jackson in Waldorf. On Thursday, Oct. 2, Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington announced that Stringer has been sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say that on the night of Sept. 10, 2021, deputies from the Charles County Sheriff's Office were called to investigate reports of gunshots in an apartment breezeway in Waldorf. There…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Masked Gunmen In Yellow Gloves Open Fire, Kill Man In Baltimore Street Ambush WATCH: Masked Gunmen In Yellow Gloves Open Fire, Kill Man In Baltimore Street Ambush WATCH: Masked Gunmen In Yellow Gloves Open Fire, Kill Man In Baltimore Street Ambush
Watch: Masked Gunmen In Yellow Gloves Open Fire, Kill Man In Baltimore Street Ambush Video has been released of two hooded men who opened fire and gunned down a 31-year-old man in broad daylight in Maryland. The Baltimore Police Department shared footage of a deadly shooting last month that claimed the life of Virgil Holland, authorities said. Shortly after 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, officers from the Western District were called to the 1200 block of West North Avenue, where there was a reported shooting. Once there, officers located the victim, 31-year-old Virgil Holland, suffering from apparent life-threatening gunshot wounds.The victim was transported to an area …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Feds Probe Fairfax Schools Over Abortion Allegations: ‘Shocks The Conscience’ Feds Probe Fairfax Schools Over Abortion Allegations: ‘Shocks The Conscience’ Feds Probe Fairfax Schools Over Abortion Allegations: ‘Shocks The Conscience’
Feds Probe Fairfax Schools Over Abortion Allegations: ‘Shocks The Conscience’ The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools after reports surfaced that a Centreville High School social worker allegedly arranged abortion services for students without their parents’ knowledge, officials announced. The move comes after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for a probe into the allegations. According to the Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office, the incidents happened during the 2021-22 school year.  Investigators say one 17-year-old student was scheduled for an abortion appointment, had her clinic fees paid, and…

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by Zak Failla
North East, MD
Breaking News
North East Man Caught With Kilo Of Cocaine, Glock, Cash Hit With Prison Time North East Man Caught With Kilo Of Cocaine, Glock, Cash Hit With Prison Time North East Man Caught With Kilo Of Cocaine, Glock, Cash Hit With Prison Time
North East Man Caught With Kilo Of Cocaine, Glock, Cash Hit With Prison Time A Maryland man who was busted with a kilo of cocaine, a Glock, and more than $11,000 in cash will spend the next decade behind bars, officials announced. Curtis White, 43, of North East, was sentenced to 20 years with all but 10 suspended after pleading guilty to drug and weapon charges, according to the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office. The case stemmed from an investigation by the Cecil County Drug Task Force and Delaware State Police into drug distribution across state lines. In April, prosecutors say police executed a search warrant at White’s apartment at Chesapeake Ridge Apartm…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Lexington Park Man Who Gunned Down Ex-Wife In Broad Daylight Gets Life In Prison: Prosecutors Lexington Park Man Who Gunned Down Ex-Wife In Broad Daylight Gets Life In Prison: Prosecutors Lexington Park Man Who Gunned Down Ex-Wife In Broad Daylight Gets Life In Prison: Prosecutors
Lexington Park Man Who Gunned Down Ex-Wife In Broad Daylight Gets Life In Prison: Prosecutors The Maryland man who murdered his ex-wife and then confessed to the crime will spend the rest of his life behind bars, authorities announced. Jayson David Pressley, 39, of Lexington Park, was sentenced to life in prison plus five years for first-degree murder and for use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The case stemmed from a domestic violence shooting on Jan. 3, when Maryland State Police troopers were called to Liberty Street in Lexington Park after a 911 call reporting a shooting. Troope…

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by Zak Failla
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