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

Rockville, MD
Breaking News
$50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction $50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction $50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction
$50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction A Maryland man's $50 million cryptocurrency heist bought him a collection of Pokémon cards, ancient Roman coins, and a piece of history that traveled to the moon. Now it's earned him a federal conviction. Rockville resident Jonathan Spalletta, 36, was found guilty this week following a six-day trial in Manhattan that detailed how he stole tens of millions of dollars from a cryptocurrency exchange before spending part of the money on rare collectibles. Among his purchases were a $500,000 Magic: The Gathering card, more than $1 million worth of Pokémon cards, and a piece of the Wright brothe…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field
Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Antonio Hawley took flag football trash talk to a new level. Now he's heading to prison for decades. The 23-year-old District resident has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after being found guilty of the murder of 26-year-old Aaron Wiggins on the sports field of Watkins Elementary School. Shortly before 10 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2021, Hawley and Wiggins were opponents during a flag football scrimmage that got heated after the lights went out on the field. Prosecutors say the two teams decided to run one final play, and Wiggins caught the winning touchdown, ending the game. Througho…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police
Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police A Maryland woman never made it home, and now police are hoping surveillance photos and a $2,000 reward will help them track down the driver who left her dying in the road. Melissa Nocho, 64, died on Wednesday, Sept. 30, six days after she was struck by a vehicle along Reisterstown Road in Baltimore County, according to police. Investigators have since identified the suspected vehicle as a black Hyundai Elantra and released surveillance images showing the car and a person they are trying to identify. The crash happened at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in the 1700 block of R…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling'
MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' Hours before two people were shot and killed in Virginia, an MS-13 gang member recorded a rap song with a warning about who controlled his neighborhood and what would happen to those who stayed there. Marlyn Samuel Medrano Ortiz, 20, will spend 30 years in prison for the murders of Diego Woollett and Mijal Conejero, who were gunned down outside their apartment complex in Sterling on Aug. 28, 2024. The Loudoun County man was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 9, nearly two years after the early morning confrontation that left both victims dead and two families grieving. Prosecutors say Medrano Ortiz…

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by Zak Failla
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
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