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

Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Gunman Surrenders After Two Men Shot During Domestic Incident In Virginia: Police (DEVELOPING) Gunman Surrenders After Two Men Shot During Domestic Incident In Virginia: Police (DEVELOPING) Gunman Surrenders After Two Men Shot During Domestic Incident In Virginia: Police (DEVELOPING)
Gunman Surrenders After Two Men Shot During Domestic Incident In Virginia: Police (Developing) A domestic-related shooting left two men wounded in Virginia before the suspected gunman surrendered to police hours later, authorities said. The shooting happened in the 2200 block of Astoria Circle in the Hutchison area of Fairfax County on Monday, Oct. 26, where officers found two men suffering from injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to Fairfax County Police. Both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital as officers worked to track down the suspect, who investigators said was known to at least one of the men. K9 units and a police helicopter were brought in to…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Car Crashes Into Gaithersburg Einstein Bros. Bagels, Leaving Wreckage Outside Popular Business Car Crashes Into Gaithersburg Einstein Bros. Bagels, Leaving Wreckage Outside Popular Business Car Crashes Into Gaithersburg Einstein Bros. Bagels, Leaving Wreckage Outside Popular Business
Car Crashes Into Gaithersburg Einstein Bros. Bagels, Leaving Wreckage Outside Popular Business A car slammed into the side of a popular Maryland bagel shop, leaving its front end crumpled against the building and emergency crews scrambling to the scene. The crash was reported at Einstein Bros. Bagels at 500 Quince Orchard Blvd. in Gaithersburg on Tuesday morning, Oct. 27, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighters were called to the scene around 10:30 a.m. following reports of a vehicle striking a light pole in the parking lot. Photos from the scene show a silver sedan with extensive front-end damage pressed against the corner of …

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Obituaries
'His Business Was People': Tributes Pour In For Beloved Virginia Businessman Jared Snow 'His Business Was People': Tributes Pour In For Beloved Virginia Businessman Jared Snow 'His Business Was People': Tributes Pour In For Beloved Virginia Businessman Jared Snow
'His Business Was People': Tributes Pour In For Beloved Virginia Businessman Jared Snow He built a successful business, made friends wherever he went, and had a knack for making everyone around him feel like they mattered. Now, family, friends, and fellow business owners across Northern Virginia are mourning the sudden loss of Jared Ritcher Snow, a well-known entrepreneur and community leader whose generosity and larger-than-life personality left a lasting impression. Snow, who operated Clean as Snow and R & J Heaven's Best Carpet Cleaning, died over the weekend following what friends described as a car crash. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from customers, c…

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by Zak Failla
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 …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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 …

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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…

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by Zak Failla
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