Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Waldorf, MD

Breaking News

Waldorf Man’s Shifting Story Exposed After Woman Assaulted, Placed On Life Support: Sheriff A Maryland man who couldn't keep his story straight, after nearly killing a woman, is facing multiple charges, the Charles County Sheriff's Office announced. Matthew Alexander Buchannon, 20, was arrested following an investigation into a reported assault that left a woman on life support, officials said on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, officers were called to the 3300 block of Patapsco Place in Waldorf, where there was a report of a woman who had been knocked unconscious. According to the sheriff's office, upon arrival, Buchannon told first r…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Pikesville, MD

On Your Side

‘Mr. Lion Grass’ Just Got $1M Greener As Baltimore County Man Wins Powerball Prize Maryland just minted its newest millionaire — and he goes by the name "Mr. Lion Grass." The Baltimore man with the colorful nickname claimed a $1,000,004 Powerball prize after playing his usual weekly numbers, Maryland Lottery officials announced. “Mr. Lion Grass” said he always budgets a little cash for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, and when the jackpot climbed over $1 billion earlier this month, he decided to make a few extra plays. That paid off in a big way. His ticket for the Sept. 3 drawing matched all five white balls on one combination for a $1 million win, plus the P…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Sterling, VA

Breaking News

From Hospital To Home: Loudoun Deputy’s 18-Month Road To Recovery Begins Loudoun County Sheriff's Deputy Louis Custodio is back home with his family after a life-altering motorcycle crash while he was on patrol, the agency says. At approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, Custodio was on the job when he struck another motorcycle head-on between Hyatt Lane and Morrisonville Road, sending both riders to the hospital with critical injuries. According to loved ones, Custodio was left with "devastating injuries" that will require at least 15 surgeries and a recovery time of at least 18 months, leaving him out of work. Louis Custodio GoFundMe On Friday, …

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Elkton, MD

Breaking News

Already Jailed For Road Rage, Elkton Man Now Linked To 2024 Shooting With Same Gun: State PD The man who pointed a gun at a Maryland father, his wife, and his 2-year-old daughter during a bout of road rage has been linked to another incident last year, state police announced. Javoughn Berbick, 27, is facing an attempted murder charge for an alleged road rage shooting that was reported in 2024, following his arrest in May for an unrelated incident. On July 31, 2024, troopers from the Maryland State Police North East Barrack responded to the 300 block of Fletchwood Road in Elkton for a reported shooting. The victims, an adult man and woman, told troopers that a motorist they were in…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Lusby, MD

Breaking News

‘Their Rock, Their Provider’: Tributes Grow For Lusby Grandfather Killed In Motorcycle Crash A Maryland community is mourning the loss of Jeffrey Alan Glacken, a beloved father and grandfather who was killed in a motorcycle crash. The crash happened at around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, in the 9500 block of Cedarville Road, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Investigators said Glacken, 54, of Lusby, collided with an SUV in the eastbound lanes. He died at the scene. The driver of the SUV suffered injuries considered non-life-threatening. Police said the cause of the collision remains under investigation. Glacken leaves behind his daughter, El…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Arlington, VA

Your Community

COVID Con Job: DC Assistant Principal To Pay $259K After Remotely Running Two Schools At Once While DC students struggled through virtual learning, one assistant principal was secretly pulling double duty — collecting a paycheck in the District while working a full-time gig in Rhode Island, officials said. Michael Redmond, a former assistant principal at Stephen E. Kramer Middle School in Ward 8, has been hit with a $259,294 judgment after DC Superior Court ruled he defrauded taxpayers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Michael Redmond brazenly defrauded the District, collecting a paycheck from DCPS for work he wasn’t doing while simultaneously working at and being paid by a school in R…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

Locked Up, Still Calling Shots: DC Murder Suspect Ran Criminal Ring From Behind Bars, Feds Say He was supposed to be waiting for trial in a jail cell — instead, prosecutors say he was still running things from the inside. A District man already locked up in connection with the killing of his cousin has now been hit with nearly four more years in federal prison after authorities said he orchestrated a brazen contraband smuggling scheme from inside the DC Jail. Darius Robertson, 32, was sentenced to 46 months for conspiring to smuggle weapons, fentanyl, and cell phones into the Central Detention Facility while he was awaiting trial for murder, according to federal authorities. Roberts…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Lusby, MD

Breaking News

Tire Change Turns Into Shootout On Quiet Calvert County Street, Sheriff Says What started with two men changing a tire in Southern Maryland turned into a shootout in broad daylight, leaving deputies hunting for a gunman. The situation played out just before noon on Tuesday, Sept. 16, when Calvert County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 1100 block of Golden West Way in Lusby after a 911 call reporting gunfire. Investigators said Lusby residents Nicholas Derick Dwayne Griffith, 25, and Timothy William White Jr., 28, told deputies they were outside fixing a tire when a dark-colored sedan rolled up. The passenger fired two shots, and Griffith returned fire.&nb…

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

Bowie, MD

Obituaries

Fight Turns Fatal: Man Accused Of Gunning Down Longtime Acquaintance In Bowie, Police Say A community is rallying around the family of a Maryland pastor who was gunned down by a longtime family friend earlier this month. Herbert Keith Mason Jr. is facing murder and other charges in connection with the deadly shooting of 59-year-old Lanham resident Benjamin Francis in Bowie, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Officers were called to the 4300 block of Rockport Lane in Bowie at around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, to investigate reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, PGPD said that officers found Francis outside suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed …

by Zak Failla

09/17/2025

National Interest

Retired Navy Admiral Headed To Prison After Swapping Contracts For Cushy Job: Feds A retired US Navy admiral who once commanded operations across Europe, Russia, and Africa is heading to prison in connection with a federal bribery case. Admiral Robert Burke, 62, of Coconut Creek, FL, was convicted on Monday, May 19, in Washington, DC, after a five-day trial, the US Attorney’s Office said. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that Burke has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for accepting future employment at a government vendor in exchange for awarding that company a government contract. "Integrity — not cash — is the currency of public servi…

by Zak Failla

09/16/2025

Prev Page 492 of 3978 490 491 492 493 494 Next

4,911 - 4,920 of 39,775 articles