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Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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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

Police & Fire
Child Killed In High-Speed Crash After Police Pursuit In District Heights: AG Child Killed In High-Speed Crash After Police Pursuit In District Heights: AG
Child Killed In High-Speed Crash After Police Pursuit In District Heights: AG A minor was killed in a crash involving a driver fleeing police in Prince George’s County, sparking an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the fatal wreck, authorities announced. The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office is investigating the deadly collision, which happened around 6:25 p.m. Friday, March 7, on Addison Road South in Capitol Heights, officials said. According to investigators, a District Heights Police Department officer initially stopped an Infiniti SUV in the 6000 block of Marlboro Pike before the driver suddenly …

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Dog Saved, Hero Lost: Woodbridge Father Killed During Daring Rescue Dog Saved, Hero Lost: Woodbridge Father Killed During Daring Rescue
Dog Saved, Hero Lost: Woodbridge Father Killed During Daring Rescue A Virginia father and animal lover is being remembered as a hero after sacrificing his life to save a stranger’s dog from being struck by a car. Jack Leo Burdette Jr., 56, of Woodbridge, was killed early Friday, March 7, after rushing into traffic to rescue a loose dog on Dumfries Road near Old Stage Road in Dumfries, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Burdette, a father of three and a "lifelong protector of animals and those he loved," saw the 2-year-old Dalmatian/Pointer mix running loose amid early morning traffic and acted without hesitation. He successfully caug…

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by Zak Failla
News
100+ MPH Chase Leads To Huge Drug Haul In Prince Frederick: Sheriff 100+ MPH Chase Leads To Huge Drug Haul In Prince Frederick: Sheriff
100+ MPH Chase Leads To Huge Drug Haul In Prince Frederick: Sheriff A high-speed chase topping 100 miles per hour ended in a major drug bust in Calvert County, where deputies found PCP, heroin, and crack cocaine stashed in a vehicle and on the suspects, authorities said. A deputy attempted to stop a vehicle speeding 82 mph in a 55-mph zone along Route 4 and Lower Marlboro Road in Huntingtown during an early morning patrol, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. Instead of stopping, the driver hit the gas, accelerating past 100 mph as deputies pursued the vehicle south through Prince Frederick.  Officers ultimately deployed stop sticks and p…

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by Zak Failla
Business
$1M Birthday Surprise: Fredericksburg Man Stuns Wife With Winning Powerball Ticket $1M Birthday Surprise: Fredericksburg Man Stuns Wife With Winning Powerball Ticket
$1M Birthday Surprise: Fredericksburg Man Stuns Wife With Winning Powerball Ticket A Fredericksburg man played the ultimate birthday prank on his wife—by sitting on a million-dollar secret for an entire day. Patrick Lash knew he had a $1 million Powerball ticket, but instead of blurting out the life-changing news, he waited so he could surprise his wife on her birthday, Virginia Lottery officials said. “We’re still in shock,” Lash said as he redeemed his ticket. “It feels great!” Lash bought the ticket for the Jan. 13 Powerball drawing at the Wegmans on Carl D. Silver Parkway in Fredericksburg.  His numbers—04-06-16-39-66—matched five of the six drawn, missing only…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Winning Numbers For Saturday, March 8 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $320M Jackpot Winning Numbers For Saturday, March 8 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $320M Jackpot
Winning Numbers For Saturday, March 8 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $320M Jackpot The winning numbers have been announced for the Saturday, March 8 Powerball drawing. The estimated jackpot is $320 million with a $150.2 million cash option after being recently reset. If no Lottery player claims the top prize, the jackpot will continue to roll until the next drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, March 10 when the jackpot will approach $335 million.. The winning numbers for Saturday's drawing were 02-04-16-23-63 with a Powerball of 13 and the Power Play was 3X. Lottery players have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning a Powerball jackpot by matching all fiv…

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by Zak Failla
Business
$3M Mega Millions Ticket Sold To Virginia Lottery Player $3M Mega Millions Ticket Sold To Virginia Lottery Player
$3M Mega Millions Ticket Sold To Virginia Lottery Player Check your tickets!  A Mega Millions ticket worth millions was sold in Virginia for the drawing on Friday, March 7, though no winner has come forward to claim the seven-figure prize. The winning numbers were: 08-20-48-58-60 with a Mega Ball of 07 with a Megaplier of 3X. MegaMillions According to Lottery officials, the Virginia resident matched five numbers and had the Megaplier to triple the $1 million prize. The winner was one ball away from a $233 million jackpot. With no players claiming the jackpot, it will now roll to $256 million with a cash option of $119.5 milli…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DWI Driver Blows Through School Property, Rams Police Cruisers In Sunderland, Sheriff Says DWI Driver Blows Through School Property, Rams Police Cruisers In Sunderland, Sheriff Says
DWI Driver Blows Through School Property, Rams Police Cruisers In Sunderland, Sheriff Says A Maryland man is facing a long list of charges after leading deputies on a wild, high-speed chase that ended with him ramming two police cruisers in an attempt to escape, authorities said. Tarvaris Tony Reid, 47, of Owings, was arrested after a dangerous pursuit through residential neighborhoods, school property, and oncoming traffic before deputies managed to stop him, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. The chaos unfolded when a deputy clocked a vehicle flying down southbound Route 2 near Wayside Drive in Sunderland at 70 mph in a 40 mph zone.  When the deputy attempt…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
$3.3M Ticket Sat Unchecked For Days As Baltimore Couple Thought They Lost $3.3M Ticket Sat Unchecked For Days As Baltimore Couple Thought They Lost
$3.3M Ticket Sat Unchecked For Days As Baltimore Couple Thought They Lost A pair of Baltimore retirees went from disappointment to multi-millionaire status in the span of three days—without even checking their ticket—after winning a $3.3 million Multi-Match jackpot, officials say. For years, the couple has faithfully played the Maryland Lottery’s Multi-Match game, but when they saw that someone had hit the jackpot on Feb. 24, they were momentarily crushed—thinking the winner wasn’t them. That is, until they noticed the store where the ticket was sold. "I saw on the Lottery website that someone had won the Multi-Match jackpot and was disappointed," said the anony…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Drunk-Dialing 911 Looking For Free Ride In Prince Frederick—Gets One To Jail: Sheriff Man Drunk-Dialing 911 Looking For Free Ride In Prince Frederick—Gets One To Jail: Sheriff
Man Drunk-Dialing 911 Looking For Free Ride In Prince Frederick—Gets One To Jail: Sheriff A Maryland man who treated 911 like a personal Uber service found himself riding straight to jail instead, authorities said. Maurice Franklin Jacks, 62, of Huntingtown, was arrested after repeatedly calling Calvert County emergency dispatchers asking for a ride—and then hanging up each time, according to the Calvert County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the Giant grocery store on N Solomons Island Road in Prince Frederick after Jacks' persistent (and pointless) calls jammed up emergency lines.  When they arrived, they found him intoxicated, irate, and suddenly not intereste…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Who Gunned Down Teen Stepping Off School Bus In Waldorf Learns Prison Fate Man Who Gunned Down Teen Stepping Off School Bus In Waldorf Learns Prison Fate
Man Who Gunned Down Teen Stepping Off School Bus In Waldorf Learns Prison Fate A Maryland man who lured a 17-year-old to his car and executed him in broad daylight has been convicted of murder and faces decades behind bars, authorities announced. After a five-day trial, a Charles County jury found 20-year-old Elijah Bernard Barnes guilty of second-degree murder and related charges for the 2023 killing of Rajon Lateef Jackson III, according to State’s Attorney Tony Covington. On Jan. 13, 2023, officers from the Charles County Sheriff's Office responded to Harvest Fish Place in Waldorf after reports of a shooting.  When they arrived, they found Jackson lying in th…

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by Zak Failla
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