Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Columbia, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Tennis Club Takes Responsibility For Racist Image Distributed To Visiting Teams Maryland Tennis Club Takes Responsibility For Racist Image Distributed To Visiting Teams Maryland Tennis Club Takes Responsibility For Racist Image Distributed To Visiting Teams
Maryland Tennis Club Takes Responsibility For Racist Image Distributed To Visiting Teams A disturbing image that never should have made it into a Maryland college tennis tournament program has prompted a public apology and a pledge to do better. The University of Maryland Club Tennis team in College Park has taken responsibility for distributing a tournament program featuring an image resembling a Ku Klux Klan hood to visiting teams, including Howard University, during a weekend competition. The controversial graphic incorporated the Maryland state flag alongside a white hood resembling those worn by members of the KKK, a notorious white supremacist organization. Now, the stud…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Your Community
Rabid Raccoon Found In Darlington Sparks Warning Over Possible Exposures Rabid Raccoon Found In Darlington Sparks Warning Over Possible Exposures Rabid Raccoon Found In Darlington Sparks Warning Over Possible Exposures
Rabid Raccoon Found In Darlington Sparks Warning Over Possible Exposures A raccoon carrying a deadly virus has Maryland health officials worried about who, or what, it may have encountered before being found. The animal was discovered near the 1500 block of Arena Road in Darlington, Harford County, where officials are now urging residents to come forward if they or their pets had contact with a raccoon in the area. The warning came on Wednesday, Oct. 14, a day after the Harford County Health Department received confirmation from the state that the animal had tested positive for rabies. The concern isn't simply that the infected raccoon was found. It's that heal…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Like Father, Like Son: Whiteford Duo Ran Dog-Fighting Operation For A Decade, Feds Say Like Father, Like Son: Whiteford Duo Ran Dog-Fighting Operation For A Decade, Feds Say Like Father, Like Son: Whiteford Duo Ran Dog-Fighting Operation For A Decade, Feds Say
Like Father, Like Son: Whiteford Duo Ran Dog-Fighting Operation For A Decade, Feds Say Theodore Lamont Stinson and Theodore Lamont Stinson Jr. share more than just blood and a family name. The father-son duo also allegedly ran a dog-fighting operation in Maryland that spanned more than a decade, according to federal prosecutors. Stinson Sr., 48, and his son, 25, both of Whiteford, were indicted on Thursday, Oct. 15, on 12 federal counts stemming from a conspiracy involving the sale, purchase, breeding, and training of pit-bull-type dogs for fighting. According to the indictment, the Stinsons began operating a kennel known as "KLK" more than a decade ago, using it to advertis…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Lexington Park Drug Suspect Busted With Bullet In Chamber, Cocaine, Heroin, Sheriff Says Lexington Park Drug Suspect Busted With Bullet In Chamber, Cocaine, Heroin, Sheriff Says Lexington Park Drug Suspect Busted With Bullet In Chamber, Cocaine, Heroin, Sheriff Says
Lexington Park Drug Suspect Busted With Bullet In Chamber, Cocaine, Heroin, Sheriff Says A suspected drug dealer in Maryland was packing heat with a bullet in the chamber when his luck ran out during a sheriff's office investigation, authorities say. Wade Joshua Braithwaite, 33, of Lexington Park, was taken into custody on Columbus Drive on Wednesday, Oct. 14, after detectives investigating suspected drug distribution obtained warrants targeting him, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Braithwaite was arrested without incident, but a search turned up a loaded Canik METE MC9 semiautomatic handgun with a round already in the chamber. Deputies also recovered susp…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Teen Driving BMW Involved In Deadly Woodbridge Crash That Killed 83-Year-Old Woman: Police Teen Driving BMW Involved In Deadly Woodbridge Crash That Killed 83-Year-Old Woman: Police Teen Driving BMW Involved In Deadly Woodbridge Crash That Killed 83-Year-Old Woman: Police
Teen Driving BMW Involved In Deadly Woodbridge Crash That Killed 83-Year-Old Woman: Police A teenager driving a BMW was involved in a deadly afternoon crash in Virginia that left an 83-year-old woman dead and two others injured. Sarah Jean Thompson, of Woodbridge, died after the Ford Focus she was riding in collided with a 2023 BMW i4 driven by a 19-year-old woman at the Prince William County intersection on Wednesday afternoon. The crash was reported around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the intersection of intersection of Dale Boulevard and Kingsman Road in Woodbridge. Investigators determined that the BMW was traveling along Dale Boulevard toward Kingsman Road when it collided…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Herndon Teen Bolts From Car During Traffic Stop With Two Loaded Handguns: Fairfax Police Herndon Teen Bolts From Car During Traffic Stop With Two Loaded Handguns: Fairfax Police Herndon Teen Bolts From Car During Traffic Stop With Two Loaded Handguns: Fairfax Police
Herndon Teen Bolts From Car During Traffic Stop With Two Loaded Handguns: Fairfax Police A Virginia teenager apparently had more to worry about than a friend's speeding ticket when he took off running from police with two loaded handguns allegedly tucked into his waistband. The late-night encounter unfolded around 11:12 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, when Fairfax County detectives stopped a speeding vehicle near the intersection of Centreville Road and Frying Pan Road in the Fair Oaks area. Behind the wheel was a 17-year-old driver, but it was his passenger who quickly became the focus of the investigation. As the driver pulled over, police say Jefry Bonilla Serrano, 18, of Herndon,…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Hyattsville, MD
Breaking News
MURDER-SUICIDE: Missing Hyattsville Woman Found In Car, Man She Knew Found Dead In Home MURDER-SUICIDE: Missing Hyattsville Woman Found In Car, Man She Knew Found Dead In Home MURDER-SUICIDE: Missing Hyattsville Woman Found In Car, Man She Knew Found Dead In Home
Murder-suicide: Missing Hyattsville Woman Found In Car, Man She Knew Found Dead In Home A woman who was reported missing on Monday was found dead a day later in a purported murder-suicide in Maryland. Police say a suspect was found dead inside his home following the grisly discovery of 29-year-old Hyattsville resident Carias Garcia, who had been reported missing on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Officers were called around 12:20 p.m. on Wednesday to a parking lot in the 2000 block of University Boulevard, where there were reports of an unresponsive person inside a vehicle. Upon arrival, they found Carias Garcia's body inside her own vehicle, suffering from traumatic injuries. She was pr…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Your Community
PETA Joins Push For Harford County Bus Driver's Reinstatement After Roadside Kitten Rescue PETA Joins Push For Harford County Bus Driver's Reinstatement After Roadside Kitten Rescue PETA Joins Push For Harford County Bus Driver's Reinstatement After Roadside Kitten Rescue
PETA Joins Push For Harford County Bus Driver's Reinstatement After Roadside Kitten Rescue Helping an injured kitten on the side of a Maryland road has cost a longtime school bus driver her livelihood. Now, thousands of people are fighting to get her back behind the wheel. Cynthia Morgan, 67, spent 11 years transporting students in Harford County. This month, she was removed from her position along the North Harford Elementary School route after allowing a 10-year-old boy to rescue a kitten along Heaps School Road in Pylesville. The incident has drawn national attention, with nearly 12,000 people signing a petition demanding her reinstatement. A GoFundMe is helping offset he…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
Herndon Teen's Fentanyl-For-Gun Deal Ends With Much Bigger Bust In Chantilly: Fairfax Police Herndon Teen's Fentanyl-For-Gun Deal Ends With Much Bigger Bust In Chantilly: Fairfax Police Herndon Teen's Fentanyl-For-Gun Deal Ends With Much Bigger Bust In Chantilly: Fairfax Police
Herndon Teen's Fentanyl-For-Gun Deal Ends With Much Bigger Bust In Chantilly: Fairfax Police What started as a deal for a teen to trade 50 fentanyl pills for a handgun led to a massive bust by undercover officers in Northern Virginia. Herndon resident Alhaji Sorie Kamara, 19, is behind bars following an investigation launched last week in Chantilly, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. The probe began on Monday, Oct. 5, when the agency's Violent Crimes Suppression Unit started looking into narcotics dealing and firearms distribution in the region. Police say that during the investigation, detectives determined that Kamara agreed to exchange 50 suspected fentanyl pill…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Six Weeks Of Freedom: DC Man's Parking Blunder Exposes Another Loaded Glock, Feds Say Six Weeks Of Freedom: DC Man's Parking Blunder Exposes Another Loaded Glock, Feds Say Six Weeks Of Freedom: DC Man's Parking Blunder Exposes Another Loaded Glock, Feds Say
Six Weeks Of Freedom: DC Man's Parking Blunder Exposes Another Loaded Glock, Feds Say Six weeks after getting out of prison for illegally carrying a loaded Glock, Sequan Collier was back behind bars. A poor parking job doomed the 29-year-old District man, who had previously been convicted on weapons charges and served nearly two years in prison before being busted again just weeks after being let out. This time, he was sentenced to 29 months in federal prison after he was caught by members of the Metropolitan Police Department while illegally parked with two other armed men in March 2025, according to federal authorities. Court documents say that at around 1:45 a.m. on Marc…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 1 of 3948 1 2 3 4 5 Next
1 - 10 of 39,473 articles