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

Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Man Accused Of Decapitating Marine Statue Near Quantico Granted Bond In Virginia: Reports Man Accused Of Decapitating Marine Statue Near Quantico Granted Bond In Virginia: Reports Man Accused Of Decapitating Marine Statue Near Quantico Granted Bond In Virginia: Reports
Man Accused Of Decapitating Marine Statue Near Quantico Granted Bond In Virginia: Reports The man accused of taking a sledgehammer to a Virginia war memorial and knocking the head off a Marine statue has been granted bond, just days after he was arrested and ordered held without bond. Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, of Stafford, was granted bond on Monday, Oct. 26, in Prince William County Circuit Court, according to FOX. The ruling comes five days after Maldonado Soriano was arrested for allegedly attacking the Iwo Jima memorial near Marine Corps Base Quantico, causing damage estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to NBC Washington, a judge set bond …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Cop Who Shot Armed Man During Foot Chase Identified As 7-Year Veteran (UPDATED) Baltimore Cop Who Shot Armed Man During Foot Chase Identified As 7-Year Veteran (UPDATED) Baltimore Cop Who Shot Armed Man During Foot Chase Identified As 7-Year Veteran (UPDATED)
Baltimore Cop Who Shot Armed Man During Foot Chase Identified As 7-Year Veteran (Updated) The Baltimore police officer who shot and critically injured an armed man during a foot chase in Maryland has been identified as a seven-year veteran of the department. Officer Phil Polanco, who is assigned to the Baltimore Police Department's Operations Bureau, was identified on Monday, Oct. 26, by the Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division (IID), which is investigating the shooting. The confrontation unfolded at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue in Baltimore's Belair-Edison neighborhood, where an officer working crim…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Electrical Event Sparks $143K Fairfax County Townhouse Fire That Ripped Through Roof Electrical Event Sparks $143K Fairfax County Townhouse Fire That Ripped Through Roof Electrical Event Sparks $143K Fairfax County Townhouse Fire That Ripped Through Roof
Electrical Event Sparks $143K Fairfax County Townhouse Fire That Ripped Through Roof A Virginia townhouse went up in flames, forcing two residents to flee as a fire ripped through the upper floor of their home. Flames tore through the roof of the Fairfax County home, sending thick smoke billowing into the sky as a fire that started in a second-floor bedroom caused more than $143,000 in damage, officials say. Firefighters were called to the area of Hagel Circle and Richmond Highway in Mount Vernon at approximately 8:22 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, after a neighbor spotted flames and smoke coming from the home, authorities confirmed on Monday, Oct. 26. Arriving crews found flame…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Man, 30, Stabbed To Death Inside DC Jail, Found Unresponsive In Infirmary: Police Man, 30, Stabbed To Death Inside DC Jail, Found Unresponsive In Infirmary: Police Man, 30, Stabbed To Death Inside DC Jail, Found Unresponsive In Infirmary: Police
Man, 30, Stabbed To Death Inside DC Jail, Found Unresponsive In Infirmary: Police A 30-year-old man was stabbed to death inside DC Jail, leaving homicide detectives investigating a deadly attack behind bars. Malik Williams, of Southeast DC, was found unconscious and not breathing in the infirmary at the DC Central Detention Facility on Sunday, Oct. 25, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officers were called to the jail in the 1900 block of D Street SE at approximately 11:36 a.m. for a reported stabbing. Williams had suffered apparent stab wounds, and despite efforts by DC Fire and EMS personnel to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
Secret Service Veteran Who Protected Presidents Saves Four Lives After His Death Secret Service Veteran Who Protected Presidents Saves Four Lives After His Death Secret Service Veteran Who Protected Presidents Saves Four Lives After His Death
Secret Service Veteran Who Protected Presidents Saves Four Lives After His Death He protected presidents, stood guard at the White House during 9/11, and spent four decades serving his country. For Sgt. Jeffrey Edgar Kleinsmith, protecting others wasn't just a career. It was a way of life. The longtime US Secret Service veteran, who had deep ties to the DC area and South Riding in Virginia, died on Thursday, Oct. 22, following a medical emergency at a Secret Service firing range in Maryland. Kleinsmith was walking off the range on a Friday afternoon when he suddenly collapsed, according to his brother, Erik Kleinsmith, who said fellow Secret Service Uniformed Division s…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Two Boys, 12, 14, Murdered In Nation's Capital: Suspects Arrested Months Later, DC Police Say Two Boys, 12, 14, Murdered In Nation's Capital: Suspects Arrested Months Later, DC Police Say Two Boys, 12, 14, Murdered In Nation's Capital: Suspects Arrested Months Later, DC Police Say
Two Boys, 12, 14, Murdered In Nation's Capital: Suspects Arrested Months Later, DC Police Say Two young boys were gunned down on a DC street in broad daylight. More than six months later, two suspects, including an 18-year-old, are facing murder charges. The victims, identified as 14-year-old Tyale Coates and 12-year-old Mhilo Young, were shot in the 700 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE at approximately 3:27 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found both boys suffering from gunshot wounds, and DC Fire and EMS personnel were called in to help. One boy was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Loaded Gun Found Between School Vans Leads To Manassas Park Art Teacher's Arrest, Police Say Loaded Gun Found Between School Vans Leads To Manassas Park Art Teacher's Arrest, Police Say Loaded Gun Found Between School Vans Leads To Manassas Park Art Teacher's Arrest, Police Say
Loaded Gun Found Between School Vans Leads To Manassas Park Art Teacher's Arrest, Police Say A loaded handgun found between two school vans led to the arrest of a Virginia art teacher and brought an entire school district to a standstill. Veronica Gooch-Ray, a Manassas Park High School art teacher from Potomac Falls, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 26, after the weapon was discovered in the parking lot of Manassas Park Middle School, police announced. The gun was spotted around 6:30 a.m. by a school transportation employee conducting routine morning safety checks, lying on the ground between two district vans, according to the Manassas Park Police Department. Employees immediately al…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Tiny Mistake, Massive Fire: Cause Of Alexandria Apartment Inferno Revealed (PHOTOS) Tiny Mistake, Massive Fire: Cause Of Alexandria Apartment Inferno Revealed (PHOTOS) Tiny Mistake, Massive Fire: Cause Of Alexandria Apartment Inferno Revealed (PHOTOS)
Tiny Mistake, Massive Fire: Cause Of Alexandria Apartment Inferno Revealed (Photos) The fire that ripped through the roof of a Virginia apartment building, leaving a trail of destruction behind, began in the most unlikely of places.  A balcony planter.  The cause? Improper disposal of smoking materials. The Alexandria Fire Department determined that the blaze, which broke out shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 251 South Pickett Street, was accidental following an investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office. Investigators traced the flames to a planter on the balcony of a fourth-floor apartment, where the fire spread into the attic and an adjacent unit b…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Wrong-Way Drivers Among Three Busted For DUI In One Day In Virginia: Police Wrong-Way Drivers Among Three Busted For DUI In One Day In Virginia: Police Wrong-Way Drivers Among Three Busted For DUI In One Day In Virginia: Police
Wrong-Way Drivers Among Three Busted For DUI In One Day In Virginia: Police Two drivers allegedly went the wrong way on Virginia streets less than two hours apart, part of a trio of DUI arrests that kept Fredericksburg police busy over the course of 24 hours. The long night began around 12:25 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, when an officer spotted 24-year-old Ewan Clark driving around a median while crossing Chatham Bridge into Fredericksburg, according to police. Clark continued in the wrong direction down William Street, prompting a traffic stop that landed the Stafford resident behind bars. During the stop, police say Clark showed signs of impairment, and he was …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Crying 3-Year-Old Left Alone In Woodbridge Car For An Hour, Family Member Arrested: Police Crying 3-Year-Old Left Alone In Woodbridge Car For An Hour, Family Member Arrested: Police Crying 3-Year-Old Left Alone In Woodbridge Car For An Hour, Family Member Arrested: Police
Crying 3-Year-Old Left Alone In Woodbridge Car For An Hour, Family Member Arrested: Police The cries of a 3-year-old boy left alone inside a vehicle for approximately an hour caught the attention of concerned bystanders in Virginia, leading to the arrest of a family member who allegedly drove away with the child before police arrived. Officers were called to the 12400 block of Dillingham Square in Woodbridge at approximately 10:43 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, to investigate a report of child neglect, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators determined that the boy had been left alone inside a vehicle by a family member, later identified as Juan Simeon…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 1 of 3961 1 2 3 4 5 Next
1 - 10 of 39,605 articles