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

Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Man Accused Of Decapitating Quantico Iwo Jima Statue Has Surprising Immigration History Man Accused Of Decapitating Quantico Iwo Jima Statue Has Surprising Immigration History Man Accused Of Decapitating Quantico Iwo Jima Statue Has Surprising Immigration History
Man Accused Of Decapitating Quantico Iwo Jima Statue Has Surprising Immigration History The man accused of taking a sledgehammer to a Virginia war memorial and knocking the head off a Marine statue was once protected from deportation, federal officials say. Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, of Stafford, is a Mexican national who previously received protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has since expired, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The revelation comes two days after Maldonado Soriano was arrested for allegedly attacking the Iwo Jima memorial near Marine Corps Base Quantico, causing damage estimated in the hu…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Deadly 7-Eleven Standoff: New Video Reveals Final Confrontation With Arlington Police Deadly 7-Eleven Standoff: New Video Reveals Final Confrontation With Arlington Police Deadly 7-Eleven Standoff: New Video Reveals Final Confrontation With Arlington Police
Deadly 7-Eleven Standoff: New Video Reveals Final Confrontation With Arlington Police Newly released bodycam footage captures the tense final moments of a nearly three-hour standoff inside a Virginia 7-Eleven, where a knife-wielding man was shot and killed by police after officers forced their way into a barricaded back room. Arlington County Police released the footage on Friday, Oct. 23, showing portions of the confrontation that led to the death of 33-year-old Shawn Valn inside the convenience store on Columbia Pike near South Monroe Street on May 8. The video, presented during a press conference by Police Chief Andy Penn, shows officers in tactical gear preparing to brea…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger Questions DOJ Timing Of Sen. Louise Lucas Drug Charges Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger Questions DOJ Timing Of Sen. Louise Lucas Drug Charges Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger Questions DOJ Timing Of Sen. Louise Lucas Drug Charges
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger Questions DOJ Timing Of Sen. Louise Lucas Drug Charges Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking aim at the Justice Department over its timing of a sweeping federal indictment against one of the state's most powerful lawmakers, questioning why prosecutors brought the case just days before a major election. The criticism comes after federal prosecutors charged Portsmouth Sen. L. Louise Lucas, 82, with leading an alleged multimillion-dollar marijuana trafficking and money laundering operation involving family members, including her two daughters and grandson. Spanberger weighed in, hours after the charges were announced, defending Lucas' right t…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
3-Year-Old Boy Left Paralyzed In Baltimore Mass Shooting As FBI Hunts For Suspects 3-Year-Old Boy Left Paralyzed In Baltimore Mass Shooting As FBI Hunts For Suspects 3-Year-Old Boy Left Paralyzed In Baltimore Mass Shooting As FBI Hunts For Suspects
3-Year-Old Boy Left Paralyzed In Baltimore Mass Shooting As FBI Hunts For Suspects A 3-year-old boy was left paralyzed in a Maryland mass shooting that injured seven people, and the FBI is now offering a five-figure reward to help track down those responsible. The shooting happened at approximately 9:03 p.m. on Sept. 16 in the 200 block of North Caroline Street in Baltimore, near the Douglass Homes housing complex, according to federal investigators. Seven people were injured in the drive-by shooting, including the young boy, whose injuries left him paralyzed, the FBI confirmed. More than a month later, investigators are still searching for those responsible, prompting t…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Man Faces Life After Robbing Delivery Driver Of Shoes, Food, Car At Gunpoint: Feds Virginia Man Faces Life After Robbing Delivery Driver Of Shoes, Food, Car At Gunpoint: Feds Virginia Man Faces Life After Robbing Delivery Driver Of Shoes, Food, Car At Gunpoint: Feds
Virginia Man Faces Life After Robbing Delivery Driver Of Shoes, Food, Car At Gunpoint: Feds A Virginia man is facing a lifetime in prison after he and a second suspect violently robbed a food delivery driver of his shoes and vehicle. Then, police swiftly caught up with them. According to federal prosecutors, Jayveon Christopher McCloud and Takaree Alexander Fields, 22, of North Carolina, were both masked and armed with handguns when they confronted a food delivery driver in Newport News on Oct. 22, 2025. The two pointed their weapons at the driver and ordered him to drop everything, empty his pockets, and take off his shoes. They weren't just after the food. Prosecutors said th…

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by Zak Failla
Bowie, MD
Breaking News
Man Ejected, Killed After Vehicle Slams Into Tree Along Bowie Roadway: Officials Man Ejected, Killed After Vehicle Slams Into Tree Along Bowie Roadway: Officials Man Ejected, Killed After Vehicle Slams Into Tree Along Bowie Roadway: Officials
Man Ejected, Killed After Vehicle Slams Into Tree Along Bowie Roadway: Officials A man was ejected from a vehicle and killed after it slammed into a tree along a Maryland roadway, prompting a police investigation and an extended road closure. First responders were called to the area of Governor Bridge Road and Whispering Leaves Lane in Bowie shortly after 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, where a single vehicle had crashed into a tree, according to the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. Officials said that a man was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released. Investigators with the City of Bowie Po…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Man Approached Police Cruiser Before Being Shot In Baltimore, New Details Reveal (UPDATED) Man Approached Police Cruiser Before Being Shot In Baltimore, New Details Reveal (UPDATED) Man Approached Police Cruiser Before Being Shot In Baltimore, New Details Reveal (UPDATED)
Man Approached Police Cruiser Before Being Shot In Baltimore, New Details Reveal (Updated) A Maryland police shooting that left a man fighting for his life began when he approached an officer stopped at an intersection, according to new details released by the state's Attorney General's Office. The encounter unfolded at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, near Erdman Avenue and Ravenwood Avenue in Baltimore, where the officer was sitting in a marked patrol cruiser at a stop sign. The man then ran from the officer, who initially followed him in his cruiser before getting out and continuing the pursuit on foot. During the chase, the man allegedly pointed a gun at the off…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Elderly Maryland Man Airlifted With Serious Burns After Backyard Brush Fire Gets Out Of Control Elderly Maryland Man Airlifted With Serious Burns After Backyard Brush Fire Gets Out Of Control Elderly Maryland Man Airlifted With Serious Burns After Backyard Brush Fire Gets Out Of Control
Elderly Maryland Man Airlifted With Serious Burns After Backyard Brush Fire Gets Out Of Control An elderly Maryland man suffered serious burns and had to be airlifted to an area hospital after a fire he was using to burn trash and brush rapidly spread out of control. Firefighters from the Hurlock Volunteer Fire Company responded to the 4300 block of Osborne Road in Dorchester County at approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, after a passerby spotted the flames, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Investigators determined that the fire began in an outdoor burn pile before spreading to approximately 800 square feet of grass and three nearby vehicles, causing an estimated $3…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Gunfire Returns To Same Arlington Block Less Than 24 Hours After Man Is Shot, Police Say Gunfire Returns To Same Arlington Block Less Than 24 Hours After Man Is Shot, Police Say Gunfire Returns To Same Arlington Block Less Than 24 Hours After Man Is Shot, Police Say
Gunfire Returns To Same Arlington Block Less Than 24 Hours After Man Is Shot, Police Say Gunfire erupted on the same residential block in Virginia on consecutive nights, leaving investigators scrambling to determine whether the two shootings are connected. Officers from the Arlington County Police Department were first called to investigate a shooting in the Green Valley neighborhood late on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Shortly before 11:50 p.m., police responded to the 2400 block of South Lowell Street, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound inside a residence. Investigators determined that the man had been shot outside near South Lowell and South Lincoln streets before…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Woman Sexually Assaulted By Stranger While Waiting For Rideshare In Manassas: Police Virginia Woman Sexually Assaulted By Stranger While Waiting For Rideshare In Manassas: Police Virginia Woman Sexually Assaulted By Stranger While Waiting For Rideshare In Manassas: Police
Virginia Woman Sexually Assaulted By Stranger While Waiting For Rideshare In Manassas: Police A Virginia woman was simply waiting for her ride when a stranger approached and sexually assaulted her, leaving her injured before she managed to escape. The 46-year-old woman was waiting for a rideshare in the 10700 block of Coverstone Drive in Manassas at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when she was approached by a man she did not know, according to Prince William County Police. During the encounter, the man allegedly touched the woman inappropriately and assaulted her, leaving her with injuries, investigators said. The woman was able to get away from her attacker and reporte…

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by Zak Failla
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