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

Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff
Teen Accused Of Hitting Officer, Deputy Before Stolen Car Chase Through Harford County: Sheriff A teenage driver has been identified as the person behind the wheel who struck officials over the holiday weekend in Maryland. Officers spotted a stolen vehicle at around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, in the Raising Cane’s parking lot in Bel Air, where police say two people were inside. Before members of the Bel Air Police Department and Harford County Sheriff’s Office moved in, the passenger got out and went inside the restaurant. The driver had other plans. As officers and deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver took off, striking a Bel Air police officer and a Harford Coun…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl
Anne Arundel Mom 'Put Her Addiction Ahead' Of Toddler Who Fatally Overdosed On Fentanyl Movie night took a deadly turn for a Maryland family whose toddler overdosed on fentanyl, officials say. Curtis Bay resident Brooke Houck, 29, pleaded guilty in connection with her role in the 2024 death of her 23-month-old son Landon, who overdosed on fentanyl he ingested in the family home. On July 21, 2024, officers were called to the 8100 block of Holly Road, where there were reports of an unresponsive child. Upon arrival, first responders met with Houck and her husband, Nathan Houck, who directed them to their toddler. Landon Houck was pronounced dead at the scene. The Offi…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says
Deputy Hears Crash, Finds Moped Rider With Open Bottle In Stafford, Sheriff Says A Virginia deputy heard the crash before he ever got the call. The wreck happened at approximately 1:52 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, near Staffordboro Boulevard and Garrisonville Road in Stafford, where a deputy found 62-year-old Samuel Brown standing beside a moped that was on the ground, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Brown allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol and had glassy eyes and slurred speech. He also admitted that he had been drinking earlier that day, investigators said. Brown declined to perform field sobriety tests or provide a breath sample and was arrested. …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say 'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say
'Anne Hathaway' Ran A $245M Crypto Empire With $500K Nights Out, Feds Say A 22-year-old Florida man with ties to DC and Connecticut has admitted to a $245 million crypto scheme, according to federal authorities. Malone Lam, a citizen of Singapore and recent resident of Miami, pleaded guilty in DC in connection with his role as ringleader of an international cybercrime conspiracy that used social engineering to steal and launder cryptocurrency valued at more than $245 million. Lam, who goes by some curious monikers, is facing a lengthy prison stay. His money didn't stay digital for long. Lam and his crew turned their crypto haul into the kind of spendi…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Virginia, Maryland Drivers Charged After 3 Killed In Fiery I-66 Crash: Police Virginia, Maryland Drivers Charged After 3 Killed In Fiery I-66 Crash: Police
Virginia, Maryland Drivers Charged After 3 Killed In Fiery I-66 Crash: Police The two drivers charged in a fiery I-66 crash that killed three people have been identified. Walter R. Juarez Bautista, 55, of Virginia, and Jesus Huaman, 45, of Maryland, were identified on Tuesday, Sept. 8, after both were charged with reckless driving in connection with the triple-fatal crash in Fairfax County, according to state police. Investigators also provided new details about the moments leading up to the crash. Bautista was driving a Toyota 4Runner, and Huaman was behind the wheel of a commercial truck carrying oxygen tanks when the two vehicles had an interaction in the westbou…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Where Is Empress King? Search Intensifies For Missing, Endangered 12-Year-Old Girl In Fairfax Where Is Empress King? Search Intensifies For Missing, Endangered 12-Year-Old Girl In Fairfax
Where Is Empress King? Search Intensifies For Missing, Endangered 12-Year-Old Girl In Fairfax Seen her? Police in Virginia are asking for the public's help finding Empress Imani King, a 12-year-old girl who has been reported missing and endangered. Fairfax County police issued an alert for King on Tuesday, Sept. 8, one day after she was last seen at the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station in DC. King was last spotted at approximately 4:55 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 7, according to investigators. By Tuesday morning, police had turned to the public in an effort to track her down. King is 5-foot-2, weighs approximately 130 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes, police said. She was wearing…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Lexington Park Man Pointed Loaded Handgun At Group Of Kids During Confrontation: Sheriff Lexington Park Man Pointed Loaded Handgun At Group Of Kids During Confrontation: Sheriff
Lexington Park Man Pointed Loaded Handgun At Group Of Kids During Confrontation: Sheriff A confrontation with a group of kids took a dangerous turn in Southern Maryland. Deputies were called to the 21000 block of Liberty Street in Lexington Park on Sunday, Sept. 6, after several juveniles reported that a man confronted them with a handgun, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. When deputies arrived, they found a man matching the description provided by the group. He was identified as 65-year-old Lexington Park resident William James Doyle III. Doyle was carrying a Ruger Lightweight Compact Pistol with an empty chamber and a magazine loaded with six 9mm rounds, …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Masked Man Brought Tire Iron To Spotsy Tobacco Shop, But Deputies Were Waiting: Sheriff Masked Man Brought Tire Iron To Spotsy Tobacco Shop, But Deputies Were Waiting: Sheriff
Masked Man Brought Tire Iron To Spotsy Tobacco Shop, But Deputies Were Waiting: Sheriff Travis Garton Jr. dressed for the occasion in Northern Virginia. The 34-year-old man was caught behind a business with a ski mask, gloves, and a tire iron while allegedly trying to break in early Sunday, Sept. 6, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the Tobacco Hut in the 3500 block of Plank Road at approximately 4:57 a.m. after a commercial alarm was triggered. When they arrived, investigators say they found 34-year-old Spotsylvania resident Travis Garton Jr. behind the business actively attempting to get inside. He came prepared, according to the …

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by Zak Failla
Purcellville, VA
Breaking News
Body Believed To Be Missing Elderly Loudoun County Woman Found After 2-Week Search: Sheriff Body Believed To Be Missing Elderly Loudoun County Woman Found After 2-Week Search: Sheriff
Body Believed To Be Missing Elderly Loudoun County Woman Found After 2-Week Search: Sheriff The search for Carolyn Taylor appears to have come to a tragic end in Virginia. A body believed to be the missing 81-year-old woman was found at approximately 4:51 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, in the 38000 block of Hughesville Road in Purcellville, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Taylor had been missing since Sunday, Aug. 23, when she left for a walk near her Foundry Road home and never returned. Her disappearance sparked an extensive search that stretched for two weeks as deputies and search crews combed the area and asked neighbors to check their properties and surveillance…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Lyft Ride From Hell: Driver Wanted After 2 Women Trapped Inside Car In Woodbridge, Police Say Lyft Ride From Hell: Driver Wanted After 2 Women Trapped Inside Car In Woodbridge, Police Say
Lyft Ride From Hell: Driver Wanted After 2 Women Trapped Inside Car In Woodbridge, Police Say What started as a ride home quickly went off the rails. Two women returning to Virginia from an event in Maryland found themselves trapped inside their Lyft driver's vehicle after a dispute over how much they owed him, Prince William County Police said on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The 32- and 25-year-old women had requested a ride through the Lyft app to take them home to Woodbridge early Sunday morning, Sept. 6, according to investigators. Police say their driver, later identified as 25-year-old Falls Church resident Adar Bulut, picked them up and proposed a different arrangement. Instead of pay…

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by Zak Failla
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