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

Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police
Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police A chance encounter at a Prince William County establishment turned into a rape investigation after a Virginia woman was driven to a man's home, police said. Michael Mulgeta Negash, 41, of Woodbridge, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 4, following an investigation into a sexual assault reported at a residence in the 2500 block of Vantage Drive in October, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say the woman met Negash at an establishment in Prince William County before he drove her to his Woodbridge residence, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. After t…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ
John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ The son of former CIA Director John Brennan is facing federal charges in Virginia after investigators allegedly found dozens of child sexual abuse images on his cellphone, including one depicting a toddler. Kyle Owen Brennan, 40, of Warrenton, was arrested on a charge of transporting child sexual abuse material and made his initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria on Friday, Nov. 13, according to the US Department of Justice. His father, John Brennan, served as CIA director under former President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017. The investigation began in April 2024, when Adobe sub…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Obituaries
Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home
Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home A Maryland man killed in a hit-and-run crash is being remembered by his family as a devoted father with an infectious laugh as his loved ones raise money to bring him home to Honduras for burial. Jackson Alexander Pavon-Fonseca, 30, of Laurel, was struck by a driver who fled the scene around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the 7900 block of 14th Avenue in Hyattsville, according to Prince George's County Police. Officers found Pavon-Fonseca lying in the roadway, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified him on Friday, Nov. 13, as investigators continued searching for the driver w…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter 'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter 'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter
'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter By the time November rolled around, James Stuart usually had his Christmas decorations out, ready for another holiday season surrounded by friends and family. This year, the 46-year-old DC building manager won't be coming home to celebrate. Stuart was killed on Thursday, Nov. 12, when 55-year-old DC doctor Matt Wade Lambert opened fire near VIDA Fitness in the 1500 block of 15th Street NW, wounding four others before taking his own life. For Angelo Gunn, who counted Stuart among his closest friends, the loss is especially painful as the holidays approach, a time of year when "Jimmy" was at…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say
Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say A Virginia woman who agreed to meet a stranger she'd been messaging online was allegedly driven to a park, sexually assaulted, then dropped back off at home by the very man accused of attacking her, police said. Jose Manuel Maya Ozuna, 30, of Alexandria, was arrested following an investigation into the October assault at Fairmont Park on Fairmont Avenue in Manassas, according to Prince William County police. The two had connected online and exchanged messages before Ozuna picked up the woman and drove her to the park, investigators said. There, police allege, Ozuna sexually assaulted her. …

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Speeding SUV Slams Into Tree, Killing Loudoun County Woman In Manassas: Police Speeding SUV Slams Into Tree, Killing Loudoun County Woman In Manassas: Police Speeding SUV Slams Into Tree, Killing Loudoun County Woman In Manassas: Police
Speeding SUV Slams Into Tree, Killing Loudoun County Woman In Manassas: Police A late-night drive turned deadly in Virginia when a speeding SUV careened off the road and crashed into a tree, killing the 39-year-old woman behind the wheel. Loudoun resident Assiatou Barry was traveling north on Lee Highway near Pageland Lane in Manassas around 12:23 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, when she lost control of her 2023 Hyundai Tucson, according to the Prince William County Police Department. The SUV left the roadway and struck a tree, leaving Barry fatally injured. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Prince William County crash investigators are working to determine what led t…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Breaking News
Peeping Tom Caught With His Camera Over Shower Curtain At University Of Maryland: Police Peeping Tom Caught With His Camera Over Shower Curtain At University Of Maryland: Police Peeping Tom Caught With His Camera Over Shower Curtain At University Of Maryland: Police
Peeping Tom Caught With His Camera Over Shower Curtain At University Of Maryland: Police A University of Maryland student was caught on a very unwelcome candid camera. Falls Church resident Seonghun Hong, 32, is accused of sneaking into a residence hall in College Park and pointing his cellphone camera over a shower curtain while a resident was bathing, according to university police. Police responded to Cumberland Hall shortly before 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, after the resident spotted the cellphone above the curtain and shouted at the intruder. The resident caught a glimpse of a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt before he fled the bathroom, according to investigators.…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
20+ Shots, Boy Wounded Playing Basketball, Teen DC Gunman Walks Free With Probation: Feds 20+ Shots, Boy Wounded Playing Basketball, Teen DC Gunman Walks Free With Probation: Feds 20+ Shots, Boy Wounded Playing Basketball, Teen DC Gunman Walks Free With Probation: Feds
20+ Shots, Boy Wounded Playing Basketball, Teen DC Gunman Walks Free With Probation: Feds More than 20 gunshots rang out across a DC neighborhood, leaving a boy playing basketball wounded.  The gunman won't spend another day behind bars. Darius Drew, 19, of DC, walked out of custody on Friday, Nov. 13, after a judge suspended his two-year prison sentence and placed him on probation for the shooting that sent bullets flying across a Northwest DC court in May. Federal prosecutors had pushed for five years behind bars, arguing that Drew's decision to fire more than 20 rounds from two different locations warranted the maximum sentence under his guidelines. Instead, DC Superio…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Stafford Woman Who Works As Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Walmart: Police Stafford Woman Who Works As Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Walmart: Police Stafford Woman Who Works As Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Walmart: Police
Stafford Woman Who Works As Fairfax County Cop Accused Of Shoplifting At Walmart: Police A Virginia police officer found herself on the wrong side of the law after allegedly skipping a few steps at a Walmart self-checkout register. Briceida Medina, 38, of Stafford, a three-year veteran of the Fairfax County Police Department assigned to the McLean District Station, was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting following an incident at a Stafford County Walmart. Deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office were called around 12:37 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to the Walmart at 217 Garrisonville Road following a report of shoplifting. According to Fairfax County police, loss preve…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Dog Shot Dead, Woman Wounded During Confrontation Near Virginia Motel: Sheriff Dog Shot Dead, Woman Wounded During Confrontation Near Virginia Motel: Sheriff Dog Shot Dead, Woman Wounded During Confrontation Near Virginia Motel: Sheriff
Dog Shot Dead, Woman Wounded During Confrontation Near Virginia Motel: Sheriff A Virginia woman survived being shot in the stomach during a confrontation near a motel, but her dog wasn't as fortunate. Micari Green, 40, was arrested on Thursday afternoon following a reported shooting in the 10500 block of Patriot Highway that ended with a dog dead and a woman wounded in Spotsylvania. Shortly before 5:20 p.m. on Nov. 12, members of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office responded to the shooting, where they found a 43-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was treated at the scene before being transported to a local hospital, where she is recovering. Her dog was…

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by Zak Failla
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