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

Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Mailman Stole $1.6M, Blew $100K At Strip Clubs — Now Loses US Citizenship: Feds DC Mailman Stole $1.6M, Blew $100K At Strip Clubs — Now Loses US Citizenship: Feds DC Mailman Stole $1.6M, Blew $100K At Strip Clubs — Now Loses US Citizenship: Feds
DC Mailman Stole $1.6M, Blew $100K At Strip Clubs — Now Loses US Citizenship: Feds A crooked former mail carrier who stole more than $1.6 million while delivering letters in DC has been stripped of his US citizenship and sentenced to federal prison. Federal prosecutors said 45-year-old Hachikosela Muchimba, a one-time letter carrier in Friendship Heights, lived large on stolen Treasury checks and bank fraud until investigators closed in.  He was sentenced this week to 66 months in prison, ordered to pay $651,068.35 in restitution, and forced to forfeit another $1.27 million.  His citizenship was revoked, and he now faces deportation. Muchimba, originally from …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Congressional Intern Gunned Down In DC: Teens Arrested, Suspect On The Run, US Attorney Says Congressional Intern Gunned Down In DC: Teens Arrested, Suspect On The Run, US Attorney Says Congressional Intern Gunned Down In DC: Teens Arrested, Suspect On The Run, US Attorney Says
Congressional Intern Gunned Down In DC: Teens Arrested, Suspect On The Run, US Attorney Says Two teens have been charged as adults in connection with the deadly shooting of a 21-year-old Massachusetts college student interning on Capitol Hill, authorities announced. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that the teens are facing criminal charges for their alleged roles in the death of Granby, Massachusetts resident Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who was interning for Kansas Congressman Ron Estes. The two reportedly had "prior juvenile records." A third person remains at large. “The DC Council thinks that these kids need to be protected. They don’t need to be protected," Pirro stated. "…

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by Zak Failla
Lutherville-Timonium, MD
Breaking News
Cocaine Kingpin Busted With 75 Kilos At National Harbor Sting In Baltimore Faces Life: DOJ Cocaine Kingpin Busted With 75 Kilos At National Harbor Sting In Baltimore Faces Life: DOJ Cocaine Kingpin Busted With 75 Kilos At National Harbor Sting In Baltimore Faces Life: DOJ
Cocaine Kingpin Busted With 75 Kilos At National Harbor Sting In Baltimore Faces Life: DOJ A Baltimore man could spend the rest of his life in prison after an episode of "The Wire" played out in real life and he was busted hauling 75 kilos of cocaine in duffel bags during a sting at National Harbor. Desmond Jones, 45, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances after a yearlong federal investigation into a Baltimore drug trafficking organization. According to court documents, Jones wasn’t just dabbling — he was tied directly to a California supplier who helped funnel bulk shipments of cocaine to the East…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Woodbridge Woman Stunned After Flasher In Yellow Shorts Exposes Himself At Apartments: Police Woodbridge Woman Stunned After Flasher In Yellow Shorts Exposes Himself At Apartments: Police Woodbridge Woman Stunned After Flasher In Yellow Shorts Exposes Himself At Apartments: Police
Woodbridge Woman Stunned After Flasher In Yellow Shorts Exposes Himself At Apartments: Police Two women in Virginia were left shaken after police say a man in yellow shorts exposed himself in separate incidents just hours apart. The first encounter happened around 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4, when a 53-year-old woman was approached by the man outside Walmart in the 17000 block of Richmond Highway in Dumfries, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators said the man engaged her in a brief conversation before she realized he had exposed himself.  No physical contact occurred before he walked away. Hours later, at 4:17 p.m., officers were called to…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
‘Absolute Badass’ Woodbridge EMT Recovering After Devastating Crash, Multiple Surgeries ‘Absolute Badass’ Woodbridge EMT Recovering After Devastating Crash, Multiple Surgeries ‘Absolute Badass’ Woodbridge EMT Recovering After Devastating Crash, Multiple Surgeries
‘Absolute Badass’ Woodbridge EMT Recovering After Devastating Crash, Multiple Surgeries An EMT in Virginia is now the one who needs taking care of after she was involved in a devastating car crash that left her critically injured. Nani Ventura — a dedicated EMT and supervisor with MMT Ambulance in Northern Virginia — was airlifted from a serious accident on Saturday, Aug. 30, and has since undergone multiple surgeries. According to friends, Ventura was flown to a trauma center, where she has started a long, arduous road to recovery that is already racking up costly medical bills. “This fundraiser has been set up to help cover the costs of medical expenses, rehabilitation, and…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Maryland Caregiver Beat Naked, Bedridden Stroke Victim In DC — Judge Lets Him Walk Free Maryland Caregiver Beat Naked, Bedridden Stroke Victim In DC — Judge Lets Him Walk Free Maryland Caregiver Beat Naked, Bedridden Stroke Victim In DC — Judge Lets Him Walk Free
Maryland Caregiver Beat Naked, Bedridden Stroke Victim In DC — Judge Lets Him Walk Free A Maryland caregiver who was supposed to protect a vulnerable adult in DC, instead beat him while he lay naked and bedridden — and walked out of court with probation. Federal prosecutors said 49-year-old Fouodzing Mbord, a home health aide, was caught on security cameras striking and threatening the victim he was hired to care for. The abuse was uncovered after the victim’s sister — worried about her brother’s welfare — installed cameras inside his SE DC apartment. According to court records, the victim required 24-hour care following a stroke.  Instead of compassion, video showed Mb…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Fatal Maryland Fires Five Miles Apart Leave Elderly Couple, Child Dead In Same Week: Officials Fatal Maryland Fires Five Miles Apart Leave Elderly Couple, Child Dead In Same Week: Officials Fatal Maryland Fires Five Miles Apart Leave Elderly Couple, Child Dead In Same Week: Officials
Fatal Maryland Fires Five Miles Apart Leave Elderly Couple, Child Dead In Same Week: Officials A second deadly house fire in Wicomico County in less than a week has claimed the lives of an elderly couple, investigators announced. The Maryland State Fire Marshal said crews were called around 2:10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, to the 1300 block of Middleneck Drive in Salisbury, where firefighters arrived to find heavy flames tearing through a two-story home. Two adults — initially identified as an 85-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife who lived in the home — were pulled out and rushed to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, where they were later pronounced dead. Deputy State Fire Marshals deter…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
‘Disgraceful Betrayal:' Alexandria Worker With Top Secret Clearance Sold Out To China, Feds Say ‘Disgraceful Betrayal:' Alexandria Worker With Top Secret Clearance Sold Out To China, Feds Say ‘Disgraceful Betrayal:' Alexandria Worker With Top Secret Clearance Sold Out To China, Feds Say
‘Disgraceful Betrayal:' Alexandria Worker With Top Secret Clearance Sold Out To China, Feds Say A Virginia man who worked for the US Department of State is heading to prison after federal prosecutors say he sold out his country by transmitting classified information to people he knew were Chinese government agents. Michael Charles Schena, 42, of Alexandria, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, the US Attorney’s Office in Virginia announced. Schena, who held a Top Secret clearance, admitted he passed sensitive government information in exchange for cash.  Prosecutors said he “deliberately undermined US …

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by Zak Failla
Bowie, MD
Breaking News
Missing Lanham Teen Dacara Thompson Found Dead Off Route 50; Bowie Man Charged With Murder: PD Missing Lanham Teen Dacara Thompson Found Dead Off Route 50; Bowie Man Charged With Murder: PD Missing Lanham Teen Dacara Thompson Found Dead Off Route 50; Bowie Man Charged With Murder: PD
Missing Lanham Teen Dacara Thompson Found Dead Off Route 50; Bowie Man Charged With Murder: PD A Bowie man is accused of murdering 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, whose body was found dumped off Route 50 after she was reported missing, police announced. The Prince George’s County Police Department said homicide detectives arrested Hugo Hernandez-Mendez in connection with the death of the Lanham native, whose family reported her missing on Aug. 23. Eight days later, on Aug. 31, Maryland State Police launched a death investigation after finding a woman’s body in a grassy area off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County.  The body was later identified as Thompson, officials said. Detectives…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Montgomery County Child Sex Assault At Library Sparks Fears Of More Victims Montgomery County Child Sex Assault At Library Sparks Fears Of More Victims Montgomery County Child Sex Assault At Library Sparks Fears Of More Victims
Montgomery County Child Sex Assault At Library Sparks Fears Of More Victims A Maryland man is behind bars after police say he molested a child inside a busy library — and detectives fear there could be more victims. Charles Newton Townsend IV, 49, of Gaithersburg, was arrested after a girl reported she had been inappropriately touched at the Quince Orchard Library over the summer, the Montgomery County Department of Police announced Thursday, Sept. 4. Officers identified Townsend on Wednesday, July 30, after the child came forward with the disturbing allegation. Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage and say it showed two separate interactions between T…

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by Zak Failla
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