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Friday, dec 27

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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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

Police & Fire

Son Charged With Murdering Mother Inside Family Home In Baltimore, Police Say A 25-year-old Baltimore man is behind bars after being accused of killing his mother in their Western District home, police said. Ajay Wiggins, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother, 64-year-old Joyce Gaskins, who was found unresponsive last month. Authorities say that Gaskins was found shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 inside a home in the 1600 block of Druid Hill Avenue. Police arrived at the scene to find Gaskins dead. Medics confirmed her death, and Wiggins, initially identified as "a family member on the scene," was ta…

12/27/2024

Police & Fire

Shooting Suspect, Accomplice Arrested Following Monthlong Investigation In Maryland: Sheriff Detectives arrested a Maryland man in connection to a November shooting, with authorities continuing to investigate potential accomplices, police said. Dequan Maurice Bratten, 32, was taken into custody on Thursday, Dec. 26 after Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) detectives tracked him to a home in the 30000 block of Pine Knoll Dr. in Princess Anne, according to the department. Bratten was wanted for a shooting on Saturday, Nov. 16 in the 500 block of North Curlew Road in Salisbury. At approximately 4:20 p.m. on the day of the shooting, deputies responded to a shooting, where t…

12/27/2024

News

El Salvadoran Man With Violent Past Jailed For Leesburg Shooting Over Video Game Console Game over. A man who fired a bullet into a Leesburg teen's bedroom during an argument over a video game has received a harsh sentence above guidelines, authorities announced on Friday. Emerson Josue Martinez Alvarenga, 20, was sentenced in Loudoun County Circuit Court to three years in the Virginia Department of Corrections after being convicted of: Maliciously shooting at an occupied building; Two counts of possession of a firearm by a non-citizen not lawfully present in the United States; Two counts of brandishing a firearm. The charges stem from a June 29, 2023, shooting at a…

12/27/2024

Police & Fire

Third Time's The Charm? Drunk Driver Nabbed In Lowe's Parking Lot In Stafford: Sheriff A Virginia man spent Christmas behind bars after getting his third DUI in a Lowe's parking lot after passing out behind the wheel with his car still running, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Triangle resident Gregory Thomas, 37, found himself in a familiar position following a strange incident that played out on Christmas Eve outside the business. Deputies responded around 5:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24 to the Stafford Market Place after a concerned citizen flagged down a deputy who reportedly appeared intoxicated while driving a Nissan and parking it on the curb in front o…

12/27/2024

Police & Fire

'He Was Supposed to Cover the Bill’: Shoplifting Florida Woman's Trump Excuse Flops in Stafford A Florida woman caused a Christmas morning commotion in Virginia, claiming former President Donald Trump was footing the bill for her snack spree. Deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office were called to the Royal Farms at 125 Royal Falls Drive on Wednesday, Dec. 25, at around 4:30 a.m., after staff reported a woman - later identified as 45-year-old Amber Mohan - yelling inside the store. According to a spokesperson from the sheriff's office, as the shouting woman was leaving the store, Mohan grabbed multiple items, stuffed them into her pockets, and left without paying. Dep…

12/27/2024

Police & Fire

Illegal Weapons Recovered During Shots Fired Investigation In Towson: Police Gunfire in a quiet Towson neighborhood led to a major bust, with police recovering a loaded ghost gun, a stolen firearm, and a Glock switch, officials confirmed. Baltimore County Police say they responded to Wycombe Way and Glenbarr Court on Wednesday, Dec. 18 after reports of shots fired, leading to five suspects being detained. A search uncovered two illegal firearms: a ghost gun loaded with 19 rounds in an extended magazine and a stolen gun equipped with a Glock switch, turning it into a fully automatic weapon. Three suspects are still behind bars, the department announced on Friday, De…

12/27/2024

Lifestyle

From Snowflakes To Stacks: Baltimore Man’s $100K Holiday Scratch-Off Win Shocks Party-Goers Happy holidays, indeed. A Baltimore man thought his holiday party couldn’t get any better—until a $10 lottery ticket gifted by a friend turned his night into a $100,000 payday. The retired automotive worker, who spoke to Maryland Lottery officials, said the party had already been full of fun and laughter when he scratched the Snowflake Tripler ticket. "I waited until my wife struck out with hers, then I started scratching," he mused. Within moments, he spotted what appeared to be a $10,000 match. “This can’t be right,” he recalled thinking. A few scratches later, he uncovere…

12/27/2024

Police & Fire

Three-Alarm Fire In Baltimore Leaves One Dead, Some Families Displaced (Developing) A 63-year-old woman was killed in an early morning three-alarm house fire in Baltimore that is expected to leave several families displaced. At around 4 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, first responders were called to the 500 block of East 38th Street, where there were reports of a fast-moving fire in the area of Greenmount Avenue. MEDIA STAGING: Greenmount Ave and E 38th Street. 3-Alarm Fire. pic.twitter.com/Sque6twr1Z — Baltimore Fire (@BaltimoreFire) December 27, 2024 According to a spokesperson from the Baltimore Fire Department, crews were met by visible smoke an fire showing, with the th…

12/27/2024

News

Man With Severe Burns Found Dead At Buddhist Temple In Woodbridge (Developing) A death investigation is underway after a man was found with severe burns inside a Buddhist temple in Woodbridge on the day after Christmas, authorities said. Prince William County police responded around 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 26 to the Watt Buddhacheya Mongkol Buddhist Temple in the 3900 block of Old Bridge Road to investigate, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Members of the temple discovered the body of a 48-year-old man in a bedroom on the premises, police said. The man, a known temple member who stayed there, was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary findings …

12/27/2024

News

Blood-Soaked Man Dies At Hospital After Police-Involved Incident In MoCo: AG (Developing) A blood-soaked man died after a police-involved confrontation on Christmas Eve in Montgomery County, prompting an investigation by Maryland’s Independent Investigations Division (IID). Officers from the Gaithersburg Police Department responded around 10:15 p.m. on Dec. 24 to a disturbance on the 300 block of North Summit Avenue, authorities said, and when they arrived, they found a man lying on the ground, covered in blood, conscious, and acting erratically. According to the IID, the man stood up and walked away before officers restrained him on the ground while awaiting fire and rescue per…

12/26/2024

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