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

Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
13-Year-Old Flashes Gun On FaceTime, Threatens Maryland Middle School Students: Sheriff 13-Year-Old Flashes Gun On FaceTime, Threatens Maryland Middle School Students: Sheriff
13-Year-Old Flashes Gun On FaceTime, Threatens Maryland Middle School Students: Sheriff A late-night FaceTime call took a frightening turn for a group of Maryland middle school students. Several Davis Middle School students were on the call at around 10 p.m. on Sept. 8 when a 13-year-old relative of one of the students suddenly appeared, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say the teen displayed what appeared to be a firearm before threatening to come to the school the next day and harm the students on the call. But authorities weren't immediately told about the threat. School administrators learned what happened early the following afternoon and …

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by Zak Failla
Randallstown, MD
Breaking News
21-Year-Old Found Shot In Baltimore Neighborhood Dies As Killer Remains At Large (DEVELOPING) 21-Year-Old Found Shot In Baltimore Neighborhood Dies As Killer Remains At Large (DEVELOPING)
21-Year-Old Found Shot In Baltimore Neighborhood Dies As Killer Remains At Large (Developing) Tavaughn Hamlet Jr. was only 21. His name was released on Monday, Sept. 14, one day after he was found suffering from gunshot wounds on Mylander Lane in Towson, according to Baltimore County Police. The shooting was reported at approximately 11:10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, bringing officers to the 8700 block. Hamlet was still alive when they arrived. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Now detectives are trying to piece together what happened. Police have not said what led to the shooting, identified a suspect or announced any arrests in the homicid…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Men Leave Rockville Restaurant Separately, Cross Paths Again Before Deadly Shooting: Police Men Leave Rockville Restaurant Separately, Cross Paths Again Before Deadly Shooting: Police
Men Leave Rockville Restaurant Separately, Cross Paths Again Before Deadly Shooting: Police Something strange happened after a confrontation spilled out of a Maryland restaurant. Nicholas Njuki, 33, of Gaithersburg, was shot and killed shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, following a series of encounters that began inside Quincy's on Seven Locks Road in Rockville, according to Montgomery County Police. Investigators say Njuki first got into a confrontation with a man inside the restaurant. Then they went their separate ways. Njuki left with another person, got into a vehicle and drove away, police said. The other man also left in a separate vehicle. But that wasn't the end…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Swerving Drunk Driver Had Child In Car, Then Refused Breath, Blood Tests: Stafford Sheriff Swerving Drunk Driver Had Child In Car, Then Refused Breath, Blood Tests: Stafford Sheriff
Swerving Drunk Driver Had Child In Car, Then Refused Breath, Blood Tests: Stafford Sheriff The driver wasn't alone. A child was inside a car when deputies stopped an allegedly impaired driver in Stafford County over the weekend, according to the sheriff's office. Shortly after 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, a deputy spotted a vehicle being driven erratically near International Parkway and Warrenton Road and initiated a traffic stop, officials said. The driver, later identified as Fredericksburg resident Javier Mejia, 54, admitted he had consumed alcohol shortly before getting behind the wheel, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators said Mejia had glossy eyes, slurre…

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Family Dog Killed In $1.5M Maryland House Fire That Displaced Four (PHOTOS) Family Dog Killed In $1.5M Maryland House Fire That Displaced Four (PHOTOS)
Family Dog Killed In $1.5M Maryland House Fire That Displaced Four (Photos) A $1.5 million fire tore through a Maryland home, leaving a family displaced and their dog dead. The fire broke out at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, at a three-level home in the 5900 block of Sonoma Road in Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer. A neighbor spotted smoke and fire coming from the house and called 911. The fire in Montgomery County. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO When firefighters and police arrived, they found heavy fire on the first floor that was rapidly spreading to the second floor and attic. The fire in M…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Dump Truck Overturns, Leaks Fuel Near Fairfax County Parkway (DEVELOPING) Dump Truck Overturns, Leaks Fuel Near Fairfax County Parkway (DEVELOPING)
Dump Truck Overturns, Leaks Fuel Near Fairfax County Parkway (Developing) A messy cleanup is snarling traffic in Virginia. Fairfax County firefighters were called to Fullerton Road at Boudinot Drive in Springfield at 12:21 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, where crews found an overturned dump truck actively leaking fuel. The driver was able to get out of the truck before crews arrived and was evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. HazMat crews were called in to contain the leaking fuel and assist with cleanup. The crash has also forced the closure of the Fairfax County Parkway ramps to Boudinot Drive while crews work a…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Second Teen Charged In Targeted Killing Of Aspiring Electrician Michael Sakyi Jr. In Manassas Second Teen Charged In Targeted Killing Of Aspiring Electrician Michael Sakyi Jr. In Manassas
Second Teen Charged In Targeted Killing Of Aspiring Electrician Michael Sakyi Jr. In Manassas A second teen has been charged in the targeted killing of an aspiring electrician in Virginia. Prince William County detectives arrested a 16-year-old Manassas boy without incident on Monday, Sept. 14, nearly three months after 18-year-old Michael Sakyi Jr. was shot and killed behind the wheel of his car. The teen, whose name was not released because of his age, was charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is being held at the Juvenile Detention Center pending a court date. He is the second person charged in Sakyi's death. Jamal Dana Allen, …

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by Zak Failla
Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Breaking News
Home, Urgent Care, Skrimp Shack Targeted In Dumfries Burglary Spree, Police Say Home, Urgent Care, Skrimp Shack Targeted In Dumfries Burglary Spree, Police Say
Home, Urgent Care, Skrimp Shack Targeted In Dumfries Burglary Spree, Police Say A two-day burglary spree cut through Virginia before police say they caught up with the woman behind it. Shanice Shentel Yates, 34, was arrested on Friday, Sept. 11, following a string of break-ins and an attempted burglary reported along Larkin Court and Wayside Drive in Dumfries, Prince William County Police announced on Monday, Sept. 14. The spree began sometime between noon on Monday, Sept. 7 and 8:40 a.m. the following morning at the Urgent Medical Care Center on Wayside Drive, according to investigators. Someone got inside through an unlocked rear door and stole an undisclosed amount…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
48-Year-Old Man Found Dead, Decomposing Inside Vehicle In Woodbridge Neighborhood: Police 48-Year-Old Man Found Dead, Decomposing Inside Vehicle In Woodbridge Neighborhood: Police
48-Year-Old Man Found Dead, Decomposing Inside Vehicle In Woodbridge Neighborhood: Police A grisly discovery greeted police in Virginia before sunrise over the weekend. Officers were called to the 2700 block of Yosocomico Lane in Woodbridge at approximately 4:19 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, where they found a 48-year-old man dead inside his vehicle, according to Prince William County Police. 2700 block of Yosocomico Lane in Woodbridge Google Maps satellite view His body was in a decomposed state when officers found him, investigators said. Police did not say how long the man may have been inside the vehicle or what prompted the early-morning call. Investigators said …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
Search For Missing DC Mom Antoinette Forbes Spreads As Family Refuses To Give Up Search For Missing DC Mom Antoinette Forbes Spreads As Family Refuses To Give Up
Search For Missing DC Mom Antoinette Forbes Spreads As Family Refuses To Give Up Antoinette Forbes seemingly vanished without a trace. The 53-year-old mother was last seen at around 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue NW in Washington, DC, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. More than a week later, her disappearance has sparked a widening search, national attention and an outpouring from friends and family who say they won't stop until Forbes comes home. Now they're raising money to keep that search going. A GoFundMe launched on behalf of Forbes' family has raised thousands of dollars to help cover legal counsel, search efforts…

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by Zak Failla
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