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

Rockville, MD
Your Community
BB Gun, Bullet Found In Northwood High School Classroom; Teens Arrested After Lockdown: Police BB Gun, Bullet Found In Northwood High School Classroom; Teens Arrested After Lockdown: Police BB Gun, Bullet Found In Northwood High School Classroom; Teens Arrested After Lockdown: Police
BB Gun, Bullet Found In Northwood High School Classroom; Teens Arrested After Lockdown: Police Two 15-year-old students are facing charges after a Maryland high school was placed on lockdown Thursday when officers found a BB gun and a live round of ammunition inside the building, officials said. Montgomery County Police said Northwood High School went into lockdown just after 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, when reports came in that a student may have a firearm inside. School administrators and Community Engagement Officers searched a classroom and found two students. On a desk near one of the teens, police said they saw a gun magazine. A search of the students led to the recovery…

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Naval Academy On Lockdown After Threats Prompt Massive Response In Maryland (UPDATED) Naval Academy On Lockdown After Threats Prompt Massive Response In Maryland (UPDATED) Naval Academy On Lockdown After Threats Prompt Massive Response In Maryland (UPDATED)
Naval Academy On Lockdown After Threats Prompt Massive Response In Maryland (Updated) The United States Naval Academy in Maryland was placed on lockdown Thursday after threats were made against the campus, officials announced. Naval Support Activity Annapolis confirmed that local law enforcement rushed to the scene and the base was secured “out of an abundance of caution.” The nature of the threats was not immediately disclosed, and no injuries were reported as of Thursday afternoon. “This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as they become available,” the Navy said in a statement. Police cruisers and emergency vehicles could be seen in the area as the loc…

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Person Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Despite Rescue Effort (DEVELOPING) Person Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Despite Rescue Effort (DEVELOPING) Person Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Despite Rescue Effort (DEVELOPING)
Person Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Despite Rescue Effort (Developing) A person was pulled from a burning Maryland home Thursday afternoon but later died despite firefighters’ efforts to save them, officials said. The blaze broke out just after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, in the 7000 block of Persimmon Tree Road near Eggert Road in Cabin John, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. More than 60 firefighters rushed to the two-story home, where crews reported heavy smoke and confirmed that someone was still trapped inside. The spokesperson said that within two or three minutes, an unconscious person was pulled from the h…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Targeted In Bomb Threat At Baltimore County Home Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Targeted In Bomb Threat At Baltimore County Home Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Targeted In Bomb Threat At Baltimore County Home
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Targeted In Bomb Threat At Baltimore County Home On the same day hoaxes forced Virginia universities to close campuses and hit the Democratic National Committee, a top Maryland lawmaker says she was also targeted at her home. Adrienne A. Jones, the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates issued a statement late on Thursday, Sept. 11, advising that she also received a bomb threat at her home in Baltimore County. According to Jones, police responded to her property, and it was later determined that the bomb threat was not credible — same as at the DNC. Please see my statement on today’s security threats. pic.twitter.com/uAzjlf3Lxw — …

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
‘Aftermath Of Pure Horror’: Families Mourn Victims Of Elkton House Party Shooting ‘Aftermath Of Pure Horror’: Families Mourn Victims Of Elkton House Party Shooting ‘Aftermath Of Pure Horror’: Families Mourn Victims Of Elkton House Party Shooting
‘Aftermath Of Pure Horror’: Families Mourn Victims Of Elkton House Party Shooting A Delaware man who was working security at a Maryland house party when he opened fire into a crowd — killing two and wounding two others — will spend the rest of his life in prison after a judge handed down a 180-year sentence. Justice Schmeek Pratt, 24, of Bear, Delaware, was convicted over the summer for the 2024 shooting in Elkton that left two people dead and two others seriously injured, according to the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office. Specifically, Pratt was found guilty of: Two counts of second-degree murder; Two counts of attempted second-degree murder; Twenty-six addition…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Tennessee Trucker Opens Fire On Pickup Driver During Hagerstown Road Rage Shooting: Sheriff Tennessee Trucker Opens Fire On Pickup Driver During Hagerstown Road Rage Shooting: Sheriff Tennessee Trucker Opens Fire On Pickup Driver During Hagerstown Road Rage Shooting: Sheriff
Tennessee Trucker Opens Fire On Pickup Driver During Hagerstown Road Rage Shooting: Sheriff A Tennessee truck driver is accused of turning a Maryland highway confrontation into a near-deadly encounter after deputies say he opened fire on another driver during a road rage incident across several highways. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said the incident began around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, when deputies responded to reports of shots fired at the AC&T Fuel Center on Hopewell Road in Hagerstown. Investigators said the confrontation started between a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer on I-70 eastbound near I-81, continued onto I-81, and escalated after both vehicle…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Dad Ripped From Family, Kids Left On Street As He’s Hauled To Virginia Detention Center DC Dad Ripped From Family, Kids Left On Street As He’s Hauled To Virginia Detention Center DC Dad Ripped From Family, Kids Left On Street As He’s Hauled To Virginia Detention Center
DC Dad Ripped From Family, Kids Left On Street As He’s Hauled To Virginia Detention Center The father of a nonverbal autistic daughter who was unceremoniously ripped from his family by ICE is being detained in "not good" conditions in a Virginia facility, according to loved ones. On Monday, Sept. 8, Gerson López Funes was stopped by members of the Metropolitan Police Department at 13th Street and Farragut NW for an alleged traffic infraction while heading home with his family.  Within minutes, loved ones say that he was surrounded by MPD, CBP, and FBI agents, who detained López Funes, "despite his full cooperation and clean record."  López Funes' family says …

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Your Community
Virginia HBCUs Threatened: VSU, Hampton Cancel Classes, Lock Down (DEVELOPING) Virginia HBCUs Threatened: VSU, Hampton Cancel Classes, Lock Down (DEVELOPING) Virginia HBCUs Threatened: VSU, Hampton Cancel Classes, Lock Down (DEVELOPING)
Virginia HBCUs Threatened: VSU, Hampton Cancel Classes, Lock Down (Developing) A pair of Virginia colleges were forced to cancel classes and enter a lockdown after being targeted with threats. Virginia State University (VSU) and Hampton University both entered precautionary protocols after being among several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) reportedly targeted on Thursday, Sept. 11. URGENT UPDATE!!! pic.twitter.com/TVTRINu7Wq — Virginia State University (@VSU_1882) September 11, 2025 At Virginia State University, officials said that local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies were working to determine the credibility of the threat recei…

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
Paraphernalia Found In 3-Year-Old’s Bedroom During St. Mary's County Drug Bust: Sheriff Paraphernalia Found In 3-Year-Old’s Bedroom During St. Mary's County Drug Bust: Sheriff Paraphernalia Found In 3-Year-Old’s Bedroom During St. Mary's County Drug Bust: Sheriff
Paraphernalia Found In 3-Year-Old’s Bedroom During St. Mary's County Drug Bust: Sheriff A 38-year-old Maryland man was arrested after deputies say they found drugs and paraphernalia scattered throughout his home — including inside the bedroom of a 3-year-old child. Mechanicsville resident James Roy Chase is behind bars after an investigation by the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, authorities announced on Thursday. Chase was arrested on Friday, Sept. 5, after detectives executed residential and body search warrants at an apartment in the 28000 block of Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown. During the search, investigators said they recovered suspected crack cocaine, a knife w…

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by Zak Failla
Jessup, MD
Obituaries
Maryland Teen Dies Unexpectedly Days After 19th Birthday: 'She Brightened Every Room' Maryland Teen Dies Unexpectedly Days After 19th Birthday: 'She Brightened Every Room' Maryland Teen Dies Unexpectedly Days After 19th Birthday: 'She Brightened Every Room'
Maryland Teen Dies Unexpectedly Days After 19th Birthday: 'She Brightened Every Room' Days after celebrating her birthday, a Maryland family is mourning the unexpected passing of Ashley Vasquez at 19. Loved ones are rallying around the family of Ingrid Ojeda and Jorge Vasquez, whose daughter died on Friday, Sept. 5, just four days after her 19th birthday. A member of the Blake High School Class of 2024, her family says Vasquez was known for "her kindness, warmth, and ability to brighten any room with her radiant smile."  "She was a selfless young woman who never hesitated to lend a helping hand—often putting others before herself," Roberto Ojeda said.  …

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by Zak Failla
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