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

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

$24M COVID Scam Lands Gaithersburg Accountant In Prison, Ordered To Repay Millions: Feds A Maryland accountant who used his tax business to steal more than $24 million in pandemic relief funds turned the government lifeline into a personal jackpot — blowing it on casinos and a Vegas getaway. Now he’s going to federal prison. Harold Dotson, 54, of Gaithersburg, was sentenced on Tuesday, Sept. 30, to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay back the millions he stole during an elaborate scheme, the US Attorney's Office announced. Prosecutors said Dotson ran H&M Tax Service, also known as H&M Financial Group, in Montgomery County. From April 2020 thro…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Dundalk, MD

Breaking News

Maryland Skateboarder Jose Romero-Alvarez Killed After Pickup Crash In Dundalk: Police A man riding a skateboard was fatally struck by a pickup truck in Baltimore County, officials said. Baltimore County Police said officers were called at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, to the intersection of Merritt Boulevard and Westfield Road in Dundalk, for reports of a crash. Detectives determined that Jose Romero-Alvarez was traveling on Merritt Boulevard on a skateboard when he was hit by a 2001 Toyota Tacoma at the intersection. Romero-Alvarez was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police. The driver of the Tacoma stayed at the scene. Pol…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Capitol Heights-District Heights, MD

Breaking News

Camp Springs Motel Bloodshed: Capitol Heights Man Sentenced After Robbery Plot A Prince George’s County man has been sentenced to decades behind bars for his role in a violent motel robbery that left two men dead. Christopher Jamar Jenkins, 24, of Capitol Heights, was sentenced to 80 years in prison after being convicted in May, of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 23-year-old Xavier Matthews and 26-year-old Karon Moore, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced. “This tragedy was entirely preventable, and while no sentence can erase the families’ pain, we hope this brings some measure of justice,” State’s Attorney Tara Jackson sa…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Burke, VA

Breaking News

Chainsaw Rampage Ends In Gun Threats, Officer-Involved Shooting In Burke: Police A Virginia man is recovering after police say he went on a chainsaw-fueled rampage at his Burke home, then pulled a gun before being shot by an officer. The incident happened Sunday, Sept. 28, shortly after 10:15 p.m. in the 9700 block of Church Way, according to Fairfax County Police. A caller reported a man in crisis was destroying property inside a house with a chainsaw and an ax, police said. Officers arrived and found him outside acting erratically and drinking booze. Crisis Intervention Team officers tried to negotiate with him for nearly an hour, police said. At one point, th…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

National Interest

Jane Goodall, Famed Chimpanzee Researcher And Conservation Icon, Dies At 91 The world has lost one of its greatest scientific voices in Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away at 91. Goodall, an English zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist best known for her work with chimpanzees, died of natural causes on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Los Angeles while on her US speaking tour, her Institute confirmed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Jane Goodall (@janegoodallinst) "(Her) discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natu…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Lexington Park, MD

Breaking News

'Irate' Maryland Man Shoves Security Guard At County Office, Refuses To Give Name, Sheriff Says An "irate" elderly Maryland man is facing charges after shoving a security guard and ignoring orders at a government office building, officials say. Robert Glenn Horn, 71, tried to bypass security and enter an elevator without signing in at the Wicomico County Government Office Building on North Division Street in Salisbury, according to the sheriff's office. When the security officer told him he had to “sign in,” before using the first-floor elevator, Horn became combative and shoved her, deputies said. Deputies responded to the lobby and tried to get Horn’s name, but they said he r…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Hagerstown, MD

Breaking News

Hagerstown Mom, Family Lose Home To Fire After Dropping Insurance Timing is everything. A Maryland mom who dropped her homeowner’s insurance just weeks ago is now reeling after a fire tore through her Washington County home, leaving her family of five displaced. First responders in Hagerstown were called on the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 28 to the 100 block of East Lee Street, where a fast-moving fire broke out. The scene of the fire in Hagerstown. Hagerstown Fire Department No injuries were reported. Everyone — including the family pets — made it out safely, but the fire left them displaced. "I never imagined having to write something…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

Stafford Man Threatens To Kill Woman In Wild Tug-Of-War Over Toyota Keys: Sheriff A Virginia man is behind bars after threatening to kill a woman and violently ripping away her car keys during a middle-of-the-night fight, authorities said. Deputies were called to Knollwood Court shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, for a reported disturbance, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The victim told deputies she had been assaulted and that the suspect fled in her Toyota. Investigators learned the man, 28-year-old Stafford resident Ibrahim Kamara, had been demanding to use the car for a road trip to Richmond. When the victim refused and went to …

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Nottingham-Perry Hall, MD

Obituaries

Shock In Maryland: US Army Veteran Dave Kittle Dies Suddenly At 41, Leaves Young Family Behind Dave Kittle dedicated his life to his country, his friends, and most importantly, his family in Maryland. Now they are facing an unimaginable future. Kittle, 41, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, Sept. 26 in Fallston, leaving behind his loving wife Lydia and three young daughters, who were "his greatest joy in life," according to loved ones. The veteran graduated from Perry Hall High School before joining the Army Infantry at 19, according to his obituary. He then served in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, before becoming a project manager for Most Incorporated. "(Kit…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

Woodbridge, VA

Breaking News

Driver Leaps Off Bridge, Escapes On Catwalk After Wild Virginia-DC Police Chase: VSP A man leaped off a bridge and escaped on a catwalk after a wild police chase through Virginia that ended in DC, according to state police. The chaos began around 4:48 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, when a trooper tried stopping a reckless driver on I-95 south at mile marker 162, according to investigators. Instead of pulling over, the driver hit the gas. Troopers said the suspect wove through Prince William County back roads, took Route 123 toward Route 1, sideswiped another vehicle, and then barreled back onto I-95 — this time northbound. The pursuit continued onto I-395, where a trooper deploy…

by Zak Failla

10/01/2025

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