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

Hackensack, NJ
Breaking News
Police Cars Torched By Hackensack Man Near Mosque, Gas Pumps: Prosecutors Police Cars Torched By Hackensack Man Near Mosque, Gas Pumps: Prosecutors Police Cars Torched By Hackensack Man Near Mosque, Gas Pumps: Prosecutors
Police Cars Torched By Hackensack Man Near Mosque, Gas Pumps: Prosecutors A New Jersey firebug with a very particular set of targets is facing multiple arson charges after torching police cars near a mosque, prosecutors say. Jaime Magnelli, Sr., 78, of Hackensack was arrested this week following a joint investigation launched over the weekend when the cruisers were deliberately damaged in a municipal parking lot. Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, Hackensack police and firefighters responded to Municipal Parking Lot T at 78 Trinity Place for reports of police cars burning.  The lot, used as overflow parking for city police vehicles, is located next …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
ICE Rips DC Dad From Parked Car, Leaving Daughters Waiting At Home: ‘Not A Criminal’ ICE Rips DC Dad From Parked Car, Leaving Daughters Waiting At Home: ‘Not A Criminal’ ICE Rips DC Dad From Parked Car, Leaving Daughters Waiting At Home: ‘Not A Criminal’
ICE Rips DC Dad From Parked Car, Leaving Daughters Waiting At Home: ‘Not A Criminal’ A DC dad was torn from his family after ICE agents detained him while he sat in a parked car — leaving his two young daughters at home, waiting and wondering when — or if — their father will come back. Mauricio Alexander Esquivel García, known to loved ones as Alex, was detained by ICE in Fort Totten on Sunday, Aug. 31, according to his family.  They say he was “simply waiting for his father in a parked car” when agents took him away. “In just a matter of minutes, his family’s life completely changed,” wrote Adelina Rodríguez Orellana, Alex’s cousin and the organizer of a fundraiser l…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
FBI Ramps Up Search For Killer Of 'Outgoing, Smart, Energetic' 10-Year-Old Maryland Boy FBI Ramps Up Search For Killer Of 'Outgoing, Smart, Energetic' 10-Year-Old Maryland Boy FBI Ramps Up Search For Killer Of 'Outgoing, Smart, Energetic' 10-Year-Old Maryland Boy
FBI Ramps Up Search For Killer Of 'Outgoing, Smart, Energetic' 10-Year-Old Maryland Boy Federal authorities are ramping up their efforts to find the person responsible for killing 10-year-old Tyron "Ty" Colbert Jr. in Maryland more than a year ago. The FBI, Maryland State Police, and local agencies are now offering a massive reward as they hope to identify a shooter. Colbert was killed on Aug. 5, 2024, while inside a Clay Street home in Salisbury with his mother and two other young children, according to Maryland State Police, who found him suffering from a fatal gunshot wound around 10:30 p.m. that night after a 911 call. No suspect has been identified 57 weeks later, as the…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Your Community
Swatting Call Triggers Lockdown At Rockville High School: Police Swatting Call Triggers Lockdown At Rockville High School: Police Swatting Call Triggers Lockdown At Rockville High School: Police
Swatting Call Triggers Lockdown At Rockville High School: Police A swatting call was to blame for a temporary high school lockdown in the area on Wednesday afternoon. Reports of a person carrying a firearm near Rockville High School proved to be unfounded on Wednesday, following a multi-agency investigation, though not before the building was locked down as a precaution. Officers from the Montgomery County and Rockville police departments, along with US Park Police, were called to the high school before 2 p.m. on Sept. 3 to investigate the call. @MCPS has placed Rockville High School on lockdown following the report of a person with a firearm near th…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Fake-Name Fugitive Busted With Loaded Gun After Assault In Lexington Park, Sheriff Says Fake-Name Fugitive Busted With Loaded Gun After Assault In Lexington Park, Sheriff Says Fake-Name Fugitive Busted With Loaded Gun After Assault In Lexington Park, Sheriff Says
Fake-Name Fugitive Busted With Loaded Gun After Assault In Lexington Park, Sheriff Says A Southern Maryland man is facing nearly a dozen criminal charges after deputies say he assaulted someone, lied about his name, and tried to hide a loaded gun. The suspect was later identified as Tyree Dirreck Shields, 33, of Lexington Park, according to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, deputies responded to the 46000 block of Wineberry Lane in Lexington Park for a reported assault. The victim told deputies a verbal argument escalated into a physical attack before Shields ran from the home, before being quickly located.  When stopped, Sh…

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Bride-To-Be Suffers Brain Bleed, Fiancé Breaks Back, Both Legs In Crash Maryland Bride-To-Be Suffers Brain Bleed, Fiancé Breaks Back, Both Legs In Crash Maryland Bride-To-Be Suffers Brain Bleed, Fiancé Breaks Back, Both Legs In Crash
Maryland Bride-To-Be Suffers Brain Bleed, Fiancé Breaks Back, Both Legs In Crash A catastrophic crash left a young Maryland couple reeling as they now face a lengthy road to recovery after being forced to delay wedding plans. On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Jess Janowich and Matt Hughes were involved in a wild crash that left them both seriously injured and temporarily out of work. Janowich suffered a brain bleed, punctured lung, fractured rib, and dislocated pinky, leaving her out of work for several weeks, according to organizers of a fundraiser on their behalf. Hughes' injuries were more severe, including two fractured vertebrae in his lower back.  He also&nb…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Cold Case Cracked: Silver Spring Man Arrested For 2022 Apartment Murder, Police Say Cold Case Cracked: Silver Spring Man Arrested For 2022 Apartment Murder, Police Say Cold Case Cracked: Silver Spring Man Arrested For 2022 Apartment Murder, Police Say
Cold Case Cracked: Silver Spring Man Arrested For 2022 Apartment Murder, Police Say Nearly three years after a deadly shooting outside a Maryland apartment complex, detectives say they’ve arrested the man responsible. Montgomery County Police announced Wednesday, Sept. 3, that Jason Duane Moore, 47, of Silver Spring, has been charged in connection with the 2022 killing of Nathaniel Potts, 29. On Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at about 3:05 a.m., officers responded to the 8500 block of 16th Street at the Summit Hills apartments in Silver Spring for a report of a shooting.  Potts was found in the parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds and was rushed to a hospital, where he l…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Community Rallies For Gaithersburg Mom Killed By Partner Arrested After Fleeing To Texas Community Rallies For Gaithersburg Mom Killed By Partner Arrested After Fleeing To Texas Community Rallies For Gaithersburg Mom Killed By Partner Arrested After Fleeing To Texas
Community Rallies For Gaithersburg Mom Killed By Partner Arrested After Fleeing To Texas Support is swelling for the family of a mother of four who was killed by her partner in Maryland before he was arrested for murder in Texas. Luis Antonio Quintanilla, 39, is behind bars waiting to be brought back to Montgomery County after he allegedly killed Maritza Dinora Ferman Sorto. On Sunday, Aug. 31, at about 2:42 a.m., officers responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting in the 9000 block of Centerway Road in Gaithersburg. First responders found Sorto suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Despite lifesaving efforts, the 35-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
On Your Side
‘Physically And Emotionally Demanding’: Moo Moo Cows Reopens After Third Vandalism Attack ‘Physically And Emotionally Demanding’: Moo Moo Cows Reopens After Third Vandalism Attack ‘Physically And Emotionally Demanding’: Moo Moo Cows Reopens After Third Vandalism Attack
‘Physically And Emotionally Demanding’: Moo Moo Cows Reopens After Third Vandalism Attack Moo Moo Cows is back open in Maryland —  again — after the owners took a few days to clean up from another vandalism incident. The popular ice cream shop reopened on Wednesday, Sept. 3 after it was targeted by vandals for a third time last week, leaving them left picking up the pieces. The latest incident was reported between 1:15 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26. They reopen at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and will be serving until 9 p.m. "The multiple attacks against our shop over the last three weeks have been physically and emotionally demanding on the Moo Moo Cows' family," the ow…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Bike-Riding Arsonist Torched Maryland Home, Busted Returning To Scene Of Blaze: Fire Marshal Bike-Riding Arsonist Torched Maryland Home, Busted Returning To Scene Of Blaze: Fire Marshal Bike-Riding Arsonist Torched Maryland Home, Busted Returning To Scene Of Blaze: Fire Marshal
Bike-Riding Arsonist Torched Maryland Home, Busted Returning To Scene Of Blaze: Fire Marshal A Maryland man accused of setting a house on fire was busted after returning to the crime scene, according to investigators. Deputy State Fire Marshals arrested Ryan Lawrence Spann, 40, of Oakland, after spotting him in the woods near the burned home in Garrett County on Tuesday, Sept. 2, officials said. At about 2:30 p.m., a homeowner in the 1000 block of Pergin Farm Road reported seeing Spann ignite a blaze on the front porch before fleeing on a bicycle.  The homeowner chased Spann and took photos as he pedaled away, while a friend tried to put out the flames and called 911, accordi…

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by Zak Failla
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