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

Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says
Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says The mustache may be memorable, but the allegations facing a 73-year-old Virginia man are no laughing matter. Ronald Jay Fleet, 73, who stands out in a crowd, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 8, by members of the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry Unit in Charles City County following a monthlong investigation into suspected violations of state law. The investigation, conducted alongside the Charles City County Sheriff's Office, led authorities to execute a search warrant that uncovered evidence resulting in six new charges. Fleet was already a registered sex offender at the time of …

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by Zak Failla
Accokeek, MD
Breaking News
Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest
Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest A Maryland teenager accused of groping women in a series of separate incidents is back out of jail. Jalen Andre Simon, 19, of Accokeek, was released from the Charles County Detention Center on electronic monitoring on Friday, Oct. 9, one day after his arrest in connection with three reported incidents dating back to July. The investigation began over the summer, when a woman reported being groped while shopping at a business in Waldorf, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. It wasn't the last complaint. Two more incidents involving alleged groping and assault were reported in …

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by Zak Failla
Joppatowne, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Fire Erupts At Joppa Tire Recycling Facility, Prompting Massive Emergency Response WATCH: Fire Erupts At Joppa Tire Recycling Facility, Prompting Massive Emergency Response WATCH: Fire Erupts At Joppa Tire Recycling Facility, Prompting Massive Emergency Response
Watch: Fire Erupts At Joppa Tire Recycling Facility, Prompting Massive Emergency Response A massive plume of black smoke could be seen for miles as a tire fire erupted in Maryland. The fire broke out on Friday, Oct. 9, at a tire recycling facility in the 1200 block of Pauls Lane in Joppa, Harford County, sending crews rushing to the scene. Crews used elevated ladder trucks to pour water onto the burning tires, sending streams into the smoke as firefighters battled the blaze from above. The fire also prompted a warning for drivers in the area. Officials urged motorists to avoid Philadelphia Road between Joppa Road and Mountain Road (MD 152) while emergency crews worked at th…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Creep In Gray Nissan Keeps Returning To Manassas School Bus Stop, Targeting Teen Girls: Police Creep In Gray Nissan Keeps Returning To Manassas School Bus Stop, Targeting Teen Girls: Police Creep In Gray Nissan Keeps Returning To Manassas School Bus Stop, Targeting Teen Girls: Police
Creep In Gray Nissan Keeps Returning To Manassas School Bus Stop, Targeting Teen Girls: Police For two Virginia teenage girls, the morning trip to school has come with an unwanted visitor three times in less than three weeks. Police in Prince William County are investigating a series of disturbing incidents near Coverstone Drive and Gales Court in Manassas, where a man in a gray Nissan sedan allegedly made obscene gestures in view of the girls as they waited for their school bus. The girls, 15 and 16, were at the bus stop around 6 a.m. when the encounters occurred. The first was on Friday, Sept. 18. More than two weeks passed before the behavior was reported again on Monday, Oct. 5.…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
Door Shattered, Registers Stolen As Thieves Strike Baltimore Sisters' Cafe Twice In Six Weeks Door Shattered, Registers Stolen As Thieves Strike Baltimore Sisters' Cafe Twice In Six Weeks Door Shattered, Registers Stolen As Thieves Strike Baltimore Sisters' Cafe Twice In Six Weeks
Door Shattered, Registers Stolen As Thieves Strike Baltimore Sisters' Cafe Twice In Six Weeks Twice in just two months, a longtime Maryland restaurant has been left picking up the pieces. Now, the community it has served for decades is stepping up to return the favor. One World Cafe, a neighborhood staple near Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is getting a helping hand after back-to-back break-ins left sisters Cindy and Susan Novak facing mounting expenses and another setback for their small business. The sisters, both Baltimore natives and graduates of the Institute of Notre Dame, have spent years building a place where customers can gather over a meal and feel at home. Now, …

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by Zak Failla
Herndon, VA
Breaking News
Herndon Mental Health Counselor Who Helped Teens, Families Secretly Exploited Children: Feds Herndon Mental Health Counselor Who Helped Teens, Families Secretly Exploited Children: Feds Herndon Mental Health Counselor Who Helped Teens, Families Secretly Exploited Children: Feds
Herndon Mental Health Counselor Who Helped Teens, Families Secretly Exploited Children: Feds He was supposed to help vulnerable people. Instead, a Virginia mental health counselor was secretly helping exploit children online, including a 10-year-old and a child with learning disabilities. Herndon resident Christopher Neal Mishik, 36, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Thursday, Oct. 8, for participating in a child exploitation enterprise that targeted young girls through social media, according to federal prosecutors. Mishik was a licensed professional counselor who provided telehealth services to adolescents, young adults, and families. But behind the scenes, he was i…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
Guinness To Pour Final Pint At Popular Maryland Brewery After Welcoming Millions Guinness To Pour Final Pint At Popular Maryland Brewery After Welcoming Millions Guinness To Pour Final Pint At Popular Maryland Brewery After Welcoming Millions
Guinness To Pour Final Pint At Popular Maryland Brewery After Welcoming Millions After more than eight years, millions of visitors, and hundreds of beers, a popular Maryland brewery is preparing to pour its final pint. Guinness Open Gate Brewery, located at 5001 Washington Blvd. in Halethorpe, will close to the public on Sunday, Nov. 1, ending a run that helped turn a historic Baltimore County distillery property into a destination for beer lovers. For Maryland beer enthusiasts, it marks the end of an experiment that brought one of Ireland's most recognizable brands to the heart of the American craft brewing scene. Guinness opened the Baltimore County brewery in 2018, …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Cops Crawl Through Smoke, Flames To Save Trapped Resident In Dramatic Rescue (VIDEO) Virginia Cops Crawl Through Smoke, Flames To Save Trapped Resident In Dramatic Rescue (VIDEO) Virginia Cops Crawl Through Smoke, Flames To Save Trapped Resident In Dramatic Rescue (VIDEO)
Virginia Cops Crawl Through Smoke, Flames To Save Trapped Resident In Dramatic Rescue (Video) Four police officers rushed into a burning home to rescue a trapped resident, and three wound up hospitalized following a dramatic save caught on camera. The officers were among the first to respond to a house fire in the 1500 block of Old Fredericksburg Road in Culpeper at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, where heavy smoke was pouring from a two-story home and someone was believed to still be inside. Officer Sain arrived first and began searching the house, forcing open interior doors as he looked for anyone who might be inside, according to the Culpeper Police Department. Officer…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Uniformed Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Two Target Stores In One Day: Police Uniformed Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Two Target Stores In One Day: Police Uniformed Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Two Target Stores In One Day: Police
Uniformed Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Two Target Stores In One Day: Police A Virginia police officer tasked with upholding the law is accused of breaking it while wearing his uniform. Fairfax County Master Police Officer Scott Abram, 44, of Spotsylvania, a 23-year veteran assigned to the School Resource Officer Unit, is facing two misdemeanor shoplifting charges following incidents at two Target stores on Tuesday, Sept. 22, authorities announced on Friday, Oct. 9. The first incident happened at approximately 1 p.m. at the Target on New Guinea Road in Burke, where investigators say Abram used a cheaper item's barcode to avoid paying for a more expensive product at …

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Obituaries
Ricky Lamot Died Trying To Help Co-Worker During Deadly Manassas Shooting, Family Says Ricky Lamot Died Trying To Help Co-Worker During Deadly Manassas Shooting, Family Says Ricky Lamot Died Trying To Help Co-Worker During Deadly Manassas Shooting, Family Says
Ricky Lamot Died Trying To Help Co-Worker During Deadly Manassas Shooting, Family Says Ricky James Lamot spent his life looking out for others. His family says he died doing exactly that when violence erupted at his Virginia workplace. The 48-year-old Bealeton father of two was among two employees killed during a shooting at United Rentals in Manassas on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and now his loved ones are sharing new details about what they say happened in his final moments. According to a GoFundMe organized by extended family members, Lamot was trying to help a co-worker during the violent confrontation when he was fatally shot. The fundraiser describes his actions as a reflect…

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by Zak Failla
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