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

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

‘Bar-Hopping’ DUI Driver Left Pedestrian In Roadway After Stafford Crash, Sheriff Says A Virginia woman who admitted she was “being drunk” after bar hopping is accused of plowing into a pedestrian before trying to lie her way out of it. The driver, 23-year-old Olivia Correa, of Stafford, was arrested after the crash on Garrisonville Road near Salisbury Drive around 12:55 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies on patrol found a man lying in the roadway and quickly called for Fire and Rescue. Just yards away, they spotted a vehicle with visible collision damage and even a handprint on the hood, officials said. The victim wa…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Lexington Park, MD

Your Community

Sprinkler Stops Fire At Maryland High School, Students Get Day Off A sprinkler system is being credited with saving a Maryland high school after an electrical fire broke out Tuesday night — but students still got the day off while crews cleaned up, officials said. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire happened at Queen Anne’s High School on Ruthsburg Road in Centreville around 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The school’s alarm company alerted 911, and a custodian also discovered the blaze after the alarm activation. Investigators said the fire started in a rear first-floor office and was caused by “an unspecified electrical event involving…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

New Carrollton, MD

Breaking News

Video Shows Three Suspects Moments Before Fatal Shooting Of New Carrollton Man (Watch) New video has been released showing the moments leading up to a fatal shooting in Maryland. The Prince George's County Police Department released video on Wednesday, Sept. 10, showing three suspects who are wanted in connection with the August murder of Nathaniel Stephon Grier. Officers were called shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 to the 4900 block of Indian Head Highway, where they found the 25-year-old Grier suffering from a gunshot wound. The New Carrollton resident was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Our Homicide Unit is asking for the community’s …

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

Stafford Home Smashed By Drunk Driver Who Nearly Hit Resident Inside: Sheriff A drunk driver from North Carolina is behind bars in Virginia after he lost control of his pickup and smashed through a home — narrowly missing a resident inside. Alexandros Brownlee, 35, was arrested after the crash on Huff Drive in North Stafford around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Brownlee’s pickup truck slammed into a Mercedes and then into a home, uprooting a tree and destroying a light post before he tried to flee the scene, leaving behind plenty of evidence for investigators to follow. When deputies arrived, they fo…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Greenbelt, MD

Obituaries

Ana María Membreno Dies After Domestic Violence Attack In Virginia; Family Calls For Awareness Friends and family of a 28-year-old Virginia woman who died after a domestic violence attack are remembering her as a vibrant spirit while calling for greater awareness to prevent future tragedies. Ana María Membreno, known to her loved ones as “Catalina,” died at a Virginia hospital days after what her family says was a violent act of domestic abuse. Her friends describe her as an extroverted, joyful woman who loved soccer, dancing, and surrounding herself with loved ones. Ana María “Catalina” Membreno GoFundMe "From a very young age, she showed great intelligence and dedicati…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Hagerstown, MD

Breaking News

Passerby Pulls Maryland Driver From Audi After Fiery Crash Leaves Him Badly Burned A Maryland man suffered life-threatening burns to nearly half his body after his car crashed, burst into flames, and left him trapped until a passerby pulled him to safety, officials said. The Maryland State Fire Marshal said the crash happened in the 3000 block of Sand Flat Road in Oakland around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Investigators said a 2018 Audi S5 driver lost control, struck several trees, and caught fire. The driver sustained second- and third-degree burns to 45 percent of his body, according to the fire marshal. A passerby saw the burning vehicle and pulled the driver out …

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

Virginia Safety Service Patroller Chad Freeland Killed In I-95 Crash While Helping Driver The Virginia Safety Service Patroller killed in a violent crash on I-95 after being struck while helping a stranded driver has been identified by state police. According to Virginia State Police, Chad Freeland, 48, a contracted VDOT patroller, was assisting a disabled Audi on the shoulder and right travel lane when a Chrysler 300 lost control, crossed all lanes, and slammed into both him and the Audi driver. The crash happened Saturday night, Sept. 6, shortly before 8 p.m. in the northbound lanes near the 151-mile marker, investigators said. The Falls Church resident and Fauquier High Scho…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Three Hospitalized After Tractor-Trailer Crash Shuts Down I-495 Near American Legion Bridge A multi-vehicle crash involving a tractor-trailer shut down much of the Outer Loop of I-495 near the American Legion Bridge early Wednesday, leaving three people hospitalized, officials said. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said units were called around 4 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, to the Outer Loop of I-495 near Clara Barton Parkway and the American Legion Bridge for reports of a crash involving multiple vehicles. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Photos from the scene show heavy damage after a tractor-trailer, a heavy wrecker, and at least three vehicles were involved. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

Great Falls, VA

Breaking News

Police Helicopter Spots Massive Fire Ripping Through Great Falls Buildings (Photos) A late-night fire tore through multiple buildings in Virginia after a police helicopter spotted flames. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews were called to the 11110 block of Georgetown Pike in Great Falls before midnight, when a police helicopter returning from a call noticed the flames and alerted firefighters, officials said. Units arrived to find heavy fire showing from several buildings, officials said. @ffxfirerescue Battalion 1 always up to the challenge. Couldn’t be prouder of the firefighters who met this fire head on. #bestjobever pic.twitter.com/EkCL3VxNcm — Dave Bentley (@Da…

by Zak Failla

09/10/2025

National Interest

Oliver North Marries Iran-Contra Figure Fawn Hall In Arlington Decades After Scandal: Reports Oliver North has married infamous co-conspirator Fawn Hall in Virginia decades after the two were the center of the Iran-Contra controversy. North reportedly married Hall, his former secretary, on Aug. 27 in Arlington, according to multiple reports that surfaced on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The marriage certificate obtained by CNN can be found here. It was first reported by reporter Michael Isikoff, who uncovered the nuptials involving North, 81, and Hall, 65, in what was described as "a secret marriage." North, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, was part of former President R…

by Zak Failla

09/09/2025

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