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

Eight Kids Left Behind After DC Man Guns Down Children's Mother In Bloody Bedroom Murder Eight children. More than 20 bullet wounds. 45 years. A DC man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the violent murder of his children's mother, who was gunned down inside an apartment with eight children present. Wonell Jones Jr., 38, was sentenced in connection with the July 2022 murder of 33-year-old Audora Williams, federal authorities announced on Friday, Oct. 30. In the afternoon of July 19, 2022, Jones returned to Williams' apartment in the 2900 block of Knox Place SE after a grocery run with one of her young sons. At the time, there were eight children inside, including th…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Lanham-Seabrook, MD

Breaking News

Cross-Country Trip To Sexually Abuse Child Lands Lanham Man In Federal Court: Feds A cross-country trip to California is at the center of a federal child sex abuse case against a Maryland man accused of exploiting three minors over several years. Hernan Antonio Maradiaga, 36, of Lanham, was indicted by a federal grand jury following an investigation involving allegations dating back to 2023, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. Federal prosecutors say Maradiaga traveled from Maryland to California in 2023 to engage in sexual activity with a child younger than 16. But investigators say that wasn't the end of his involvement with minors. In …

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Waldorf, MD

Obituaries

Generations Of Service: Waldorf Firehouse Mourns Loss Of Lifetime Member Sharon Zdobysz For 18 years, Sharon Zdobysz helped take care of a Maryland volunteer fire department and the people who called it home. Her husband says they'll especially miss her mandarin orange cakes at the fish fry. Zdobysz, a 73-year-old Waldorf resident and lifetime member of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department, died on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia following an illness. Her death leaves a void in a fire department where volunteering was something of a family tradition. Zdobysz joined the department's Auxiliary in 2008, eventually taking on numerous leadership and admi…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Waldorf, MD

Your Community

ICE Detains Father Outside Waldorf Silver Diner Days Before Son's 8th Birthday Salvador Calderas Lopez was getting ready to start his workday in Maryland. ICE had other plans. Before his shift even began on Monday morning, Oct. 26, Calderas Lopez was detained by federal immigration agents outside the Silver Diner in Waldorf, according to his family. "He was taken without a warrant or reason, and our family has been left trying to navigate an urgent and painful situation," his sister-in-law, Andrea Chavez-Romero, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. "Salvador is a great dad and a valued member of the community." According to Chavez-Romero, officers in unmarked vehicles took…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD

Breaking News

Temple Hills Man Murdered At DC Bus Stop, Accused Killer Shot By Officers Minutes Later: Police A Maryland man was shot to death at a DC bus stop, and less than 20 minutes later, his accused killer was himself shot by a police officer just blocks away. The violence unfolded early Thursday morning, Oct. 29, in Northeast DC, where two shootings that initially appeared to be separate incidents turned out to have the same suspect, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Yeferson Moreno-Gimenez, 27, of Temple Hills, was found unconscious and not breathing around 5 a.m. after being shot at a bus stop in the 4100 block of Minnesota Avenue NE. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, whe…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

Man Pulled From Beneath Metro Train With Life-Threatening Injuries: Arlington Officials A man was pulled from beneath a Metro train in Virginia on Friday, Oct. 30, after becoming trapped under one of the cars, fire officials said. Emergency crews from Arlington Fire & EMS responded to the Virginia Square Metro Station, where the man was trapped beneath a train, prompting a significant emergency response. As firefighters worked to free him, officials warned of major traffic impacts in the surrounding area and urged drivers to avoid the station and seek alternate routes. The man was eventually extricated from beneath the Metro car, according to a final update issued by the …

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Hyattsville, MD

Breaking News

Body Found In Langley-Hampshire Neighborhood Park Identified As Teen Murder Victim: Police A Maryland teenager found dead in a neighborhood park has been identified as police hunt for his killer. Shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, officers from the Prince George's County Police Department were called to investigate reports of an unresponsive person at Langley-Hampshire Park in Hyattsville. Upon arrival, first responders found 18-year-old Omar Jonathan Ventura Ajbal suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Hyattsville teen was pronounced dead at the scene. Prince George's County Police homicide detectives have since taken over the investigation, working to determine…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Mountain Of Twisted Metal Spills Across Montgomery County Road After Tractor-Trailer Crash A tractor-trailer crash left a mountain of scrap metal scattered across a busy Maryland roadway on Friday morning, forcing lane closures in both directions as crews worked to clean up the massive mess. The crash was initially reported around 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 30 along Frederick Road (MD-355) at East Gude Drive in Montgomery County, according to officials. Photos shared by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer show an overturned trailer surrounded by piles of metal debris, with heavy equipment brought in to help clear the roadway. The scene of the crash…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

Murder-For-Hire: Stafford Man Jailed For Sex Offenses Plotted To Kill Victim, Sheriff Says A man already behind bars for multiple sexual assault and obscenity offenses is facing damning new charges. Murder-for-hire. Christopher L. Tinnermon allegedly tried to arrange the killing of the victim in his previous criminal case while locked up at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. The alleged plot came to light earlier this year when investigators received information about a possible murder-for-hire scheme involving an inmate. Detectives spent months investigating the allegations, ultimately gathering evidence that authorities say poin…

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

Annandale, VA

Breaking News

Virginia Man Followed From Annandale Bank Before $2,400 Stolen At Gas Station: Police A Virginia man walked into a gas station after withdrawing thousands of dollars from a bank, unaware that someone may have been following him the entire time. By the time he returned to his vehicle, $2,400 was gone. Now, Fairfax County Police are searching for a suspect in what investigators believe was a case of "bank jugging," a theft tactic in which criminals target people who have just withdrawn cash. The victim withdrew the money from a bank in the 4400 block of Backlick Road in Annandale at approximately 10:20 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, according to police. After leaving the bank, he …

by Zak Failla

10/30/2026

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