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

College Park, MD
Your Community
DOJ Says Federal Agents 'Cannot, Will Not Comply' With Maryland Mask Ban In New Lawsuit DOJ Says Federal Agents 'Cannot, Will Not Comply' With Maryland Mask Ban In New Lawsuit DOJ Says Federal Agents 'Cannot, Will Not Comply' With Maryland Mask Ban In New Lawsuit
DOJ Says Federal Agents 'Cannot, Will Not Comply' With Maryland Mask Ban In New Lawsuit The gloves are off in Maryland. The masks, according to federal officials, are staying on. The US Department of Justice sued the state on Thursday, Oct. 1, the same day Maryland's new restrictions on masks and identification for federal law enforcement officers took effect. And DOJ left little ambiguity about what happens next. "Federal law enforcement agents and officers cannot and will not comply with the Challenged Laws," attorneys wrote in the 25-page complaint filed in US District Court in Maryland. The lawsuit names Maryland, Attorney General Anthony Brown, the Maryland Police Train…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Man Admits Killing 3-Year-Old Honesty Cheadle After Opening Fire On Family's Car DC Man Admits Killing 3-Year-Old Honesty Cheadle After Opening Fire On Family's Car DC Man Admits Killing 3-Year-Old Honesty Cheadle After Opening Fire On Family's Car
DC Man Admits Killing 3-Year-Old Honesty Cheadle After Opening Fire On Family's Car More than a year after 3-year-old Honesty Cheadle was shot in the head while sitting in a car with her family in DC, the man who pulled the trigger has admitted to killing her. Charles Rucker, 25, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 1 to first-degree murder while armed and three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the July 2025 shooting, according to federal prosecutors. Under the plea agreement, Rucker is expected to spend 35 years behind bars. Honesty had spent the Fourth of July with her family at cookouts and watching fireworks before they returned to Southeast DC…

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by Zak Failla
Owings Mills, MD
Breaking News
Woman Runs Out Of Gas, Tries Crossing I-795 With Dog Before Both Are Killed In Owings Mills: PD Woman Runs Out Of Gas, Tries Crossing I-795 With Dog Before Both Are Killed In Owings Mills: PD Woman Runs Out Of Gas, Tries Crossing I-795 With Dog Before Both Are Killed In Owings Mills: PD
Woman Runs Out Of Gas, Tries Crossing I-795 With Dog Before Both Are Killed In Owings Mills: PD A late-night breakdown turned deadly for a Maryland woman and her dog when they tried crossing an interstate together after her vehicle ran out of gas. Madison Cecille Davis, 31, of Westminster, was killed shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, after stopping on the left shoulder of southbound I-795 near Mt. Wilson Lane in Baltimore County, according to Maryland State Police. Investigators say Davis' vehicle had run out of gas, prompting her to pull onto the shoulder and get out with her dog. Then, for reasons that remain unclear a day later, Davis attempted to cross the travel lanes…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Shots Fired In Hagerstown Send Suspects Racing Across State Lines Before Arrest, Police Say Shots Fired In Hagerstown Send Suspects Racing Across State Lines Before Arrest, Police Say Shots Fired In Hagerstown Send Suspects Racing Across State Lines Before Arrest, Police Say
Shots Fired In Hagerstown Send Suspects Racing Across State Lines Before Arrest, Police Say A reported shooting in Maryland sent police on an interstate chase before two suspects were captured across state lines, authorities said. Hagerstown Police were called to the 400 block of Sumans Avenue at approximately 12:26 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, where officers found evidence that shots had been fired. No one was injured, but the gunfire was only the beginning. Investigators identified a suspect vehicle and later spotted it with two people inside in the 13000 block of Maugansville Road, police said. Officers moved in to make a traffic stop near Salem and Indiana avenues. The driv…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Who Ordered 1,818 Radiators? CBP Says Stolen Identities Led To $206K Virginia Haul Who Ordered 1,818 Radiators? CBP Says Stolen Identities Led To $206K Virginia Haul Who Ordered 1,818 Radiators? CBP Says Stolen Identities Led To $206K Virginia Haul
Who Ordered 1,818 Radiators? CBP Says Stolen Identities Led To $206K Virginia Haul Imagine getting a call from customs about the hundreds of car radiators you ordered. Except you didn't. That's essentially what happened in Virginia, where US Customs and Border Protection officers seized three shipments containing 1,818 automotive radiators worth more than $206,000 after tracking the paperwork back to people who said they had absolutely nothing to do with them. The shipments arrived in Norfolk from China between July 21 and Aug. 14, carrying radiators bearing Reach and CarQuest brand names. Something in the paperwork didn't add up. CBP officers found discrepancies in th…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
Dinner Goes Up In Smoke As Tableside Grill Sparks $500K Fire At Rockville KPOT (PHOTOS) Dinner Goes Up In Smoke As Tableside Grill Sparks $500K Fire At Rockville KPOT (PHOTOS) Dinner Goes Up In Smoke As Tableside Grill Sparks $500K Fire At Rockville KPOT (PHOTOS)
Dinner Goes Up In Smoke As Tableside Grill Sparks $500K Fire At Rockville Kpot (Photos) A grease fire at a tableside grill caused more than $500,000 in damage at a Maryland Korean barbecue restaurant. The fire broke out shortly before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot at 5550 Randolph Road in Rockville's Montrose Crossing shopping center, officials say. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews arrived to find a fire that had started in the first-floor dining area and spread through the restaurant's exhaust system. Investigators determined that grease caught fire at a tableside hot pot and grill before igniting inside the exhaust vent and ductwork, ac…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Former Hayfield Principal Used School Cards For Personal Travel, Events, Police Say Former Hayfield Principal Used School Cards For Personal Travel, Events, Police Say Former Hayfield Principal Used School Cards For Personal Travel, Events, Police Say
Former Hayfield Principal Used School Cards For Personal Travel, Events, Police Say A school-issued payment card allegedly became a personal expense account for a Virginia principal. Darin Thompson, 51, of Lorton, the former principal of Hayfield Secondary School, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 30, after investigators say he used nearly $8,000 in school funds on unauthorized personal expenses. The spending included personal travel and trips to events that had nothing to do with Thompson's official duties, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. The case began months earlier. Detectives opened an investigation on April 21 after the Fairfax County Public Schoo…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Reward Offered After Yorkie Rambo Found With Broken Ribs, Separated Pelvis In Virginia Reward Offered After Yorkie Rambo Found With Broken Ribs, Separated Pelvis In Virginia Reward Offered After Yorkie Rambo Found With Broken Ribs, Separated Pelvis In Virginia
Reward Offered After Yorkie Rambo Found With Broken Ribs, Separated Pelvis In Virginia Two weeks can change everything. On July 14, Rambo was wandering loose in Virginia with no reported injuries. By the night of July 29, the tiny Yorkshire terrier had been abandoned in a Norfolk field with fractured ribs, a separated pelvis and injuries so extensive that he could not recover. Now, two months later, PETA is putting Rambo's face across Norfolk and Virginia Beach as investigators try to determine what happened during those missing days and who was responsible. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. And the newly reve…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore's Most Wanted: Dashawn Taylor Still At Large After Shooting That Killed Asia Williams Baltimore's Most Wanted: Dashawn Taylor Still At Large After Shooting That Killed Asia Williams Baltimore's Most Wanted: Dashawn Taylor Still At Large After Shooting That Killed Asia Williams
Baltimore's Most Wanted: Dashawn Taylor Still At Large After Shooting That Killed Asia Williams The search continues for a Maryland man wanted in connection with a shooting that killed a Baltimore woman and wounded another person. Baltimore Police renewed their call for help on Tuesday, Sept. 29, as they continue looking for 24-year-old Dashawn Taylor in connection with the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Asia Williams. Williams was killed on June 23 in the 5200 block of York Road, police said. A 27-year-old man was also shot. More than three months later, Taylor remains wanted and is still considered armed and dangerous, according to investigators. Police have included Taylor in thei…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Rabid Skunk Confirmed In Charles County As Officials Warn Pet Owners Ahead Of Free Clinics Rabid Skunk Confirmed In Charles County As Officials Warn Pet Owners Ahead Of Free Clinics Rabid Skunk Confirmed In Charles County As Officials Warn Pet Owners Ahead Of Free Clinics
Rabid Skunk Confirmed In Charles County As Officials Warn Pet Owners Ahead Of Free Clinics A rabid skunk is putting a Maryland community on alert. The animal tested positive for rabies on Monday, Sept. 28 after being found near Ryceville Road and Pudges Place in Charlotte Hall, according to the Charles County Department of Health. The positive test prompted health officials to remind residents to steer clear of wildlife and unfamiliar animals, particularly if they are behaving strangely. Rabies is most commonly transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. Skunks are among several wild animals capable of passing the virus to pets, along with raccoons, foxes and …

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by Zak Failla
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