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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
Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained
Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained A fast-moving wildfire tore through nearly two dozen acres of mountainside near Burnside Bridge Road in Hagerstown, keeping more than 100 firefighters busy battling the blaze before it was finally contained, officials confirmed. The wind-driven fire broke out on Feb. 27, presenting major access challenges for crews, according to the Washington County Division of Emergency Services. The fire was first reported shortly before 2 p.m. on Thursday, prompting an immediate response from firefighters. The Washington County Division of Emergency Services reports that a wildfire that burned appr…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Winning 'FAST PLAY' Ticket Worth $296K Sold At Laurel Liquor Store Winning 'FAST PLAY' Ticket Worth $296K Sold At Laurel Liquor Store
Winning 'FAST Play' Ticket Worth $296K Sold At Laurel Liquor Store Booze and a bucket load of cash, is what one lucky liquor store customer went home with, according to Maryland Lottery. A jackpot-winning ticket worth nearly $300,000 was sold at a Maryland liquor store. A FAST PLAY ticket sold at All Saints Liquors in Laurel is burning a hole in a local residents pocket after winning a $296,552 progressive jackpot playing Grand Progressive on Thursday, Feb. 27. The $10 ticket has a progressive jackpot that starts at $100,000 and grows with the sale of each ticket until someone buys a progressive jackpot-winning ticket. This is the first of 28 p…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
'Active Attacker' With Knife Leads To Shelter-In-Place Order At University Of Virginia 'Active Attacker' With Knife Leads To Shelter-In-Place Order At University Of Virginia
'Active Attacker' With Knife Leads To Shelter-In-Place Order At University Of Virginia The University of Virginia faced its second lockdown this week after reports of a knife-wielding attacker near campus, officials said. On Thursday, Feb. 27, UVA Police issued an emergency alert about an active attacker with a knife near 100 Emmet St. S., across from Alumni Hall.  The suspect was initially described as a white man wearing a red hoodie and blue sweatpants. Later updates described him wearing a white T-shirt, blue sweatpants, and white shoes. The alert, posted at 5:03 p.m., advised students and staff to shelter in place, marking the second such incident this week.  …

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by Zak Failla
News
DNA Links Armed Hyattsville Man To Woman’s Rape Near Metro: DOJ DNA Links Armed Hyattsville Man To Woman’s Rape Near Metro: DOJ
DNA Links Armed Hyattsville Man To Woman’s Rape Near Metro: DOJ A cold case has had a major breakthrough leading to the indictment of a Maryland man for a brutal armed rape, according to the US Department of Justice.  Cristian Josue Arteaga, 35, formerly of Hyattsville, was indicted on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed after investigators tied him to the 2012 attack of a woman walking home from the Ft. Totten Metro station, the US Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, Feb. 27. The case had gone cold for over a decade until a DNA hit in late 2023 connected Arteaga to the crime, leading to his extradition to DC in January 20…

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by Zak Failla
News
DC Man Brutally Beats Ex, Uses 5-Year-Old Son To Silence Her: DOJ DC Man Brutally Beats Ex, Uses 5-Year-Old Son To Silence Her: DOJ
DC Man Brutally Beats Ex, Uses 5-Year-Old Son To Silence Her: DOJ A jealous DC man brutally attacked the mother of his child, beating her unconscious in her own bathroom—then spent months trying to manipulate her into dropping the case, even using their 5-year-old son, officials said. John Brown III, 32, was found guilty of assault with significant bodily injury, obstruction of justice, and contempt after a trial in DC Superior Court, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, Feb. 26. It all began on July 4, 2023, during a game night at the victim’s Southeast DC apartment, where Brown was among the guests. But when the party ended, Brown was waiting in her bedr…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Youngkin Deputizing Virginia State Police For Federal Immigration Crackdown Youngkin Deputizing Virginia State Police For Federal Immigration Crackdown
Youngkin Deputizing Virginia State Police For Federal Immigration Crackdown Virginia State Police troopers will soon be federally deputized to assist with immigration enforcement under a new executive order signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin, state officials announced. Under Executive Order 47, issued on Thursday, Feb. 27, Youngkin directed Virginia State Police (VSP) to enter into an agreement with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing select troopers to act as federally trained immigration officers. The move will establish a VSP Task Force of troopers who will assist ICE in identifying, detaining, and apprehending undocumented individuals accused …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania
Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania Two homes in Spotsylvania County went up in flames just minutes apart late Wednesday, Feb. 26, keeping firefighters racing across the county, officials said. Crews from Spotsylvania County Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management responded to the first fire on Hummingbird Lane in the southern part of the county just before midnight.  Moments later, a second fire broke out on Foxhall Circle in the northern part of the county, officials said. Despite firefighters arriving at both scenes within seven minutes, the homes suffered significant damage, authorities said. Surrounding fire depart…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Duped Into Fake Meetup, Attacked By Elkton Suspect Over Sweatshirts: Police Teen Duped Into Fake Meetup, Attacked By Elkton Suspect Over Sweatshirts: Police
Teen Duped Into Fake Meetup, Attacked By Elkton Suspect Over Sweatshirts: Police A Maryland teen and his accomplice were arrested in Delaware after robbing a 15-year-old at gunpoint over sweatshirts during a duplicitous meetup authorities said. Elkton resident Tizonn Trotter, 18, and Jyair Freeman, 18, of Smyrna, Delaware, were taken into custody after allegedly luring the victim into their car and attacking him during a broad daylight robbery in Millsboro, according to Delaware State Police. The incident happened on Tuesday, Feb. 25, around 3:30 p.m. in the 20000 block of Lucky Lane when the victim arranged to meet someone he thought was his cousin through a socia…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Teen Football Star Killed In Columbia Mall Shooting Was A Standout On, Off The Field Teen Football Star Killed In Columbia Mall Shooting Was A Standout On, Off The Field
Teen Football Star Killed In Columbia Mall Shooting Was A Standout On, Off The Field A 16-year-old high school football player was shot and killed in a targeted attack outside the Columbia Mall, leaving family, friends, and teammates grieving an immeasurable loss, authorities said. Michael Jerome Robertson III, a sophomore at Wilde Lake High School, was gunned down on Saturday, Feb. 22 in the parking lot near the Lidl grocery store on Little Patuxent Parkway, according to Howard County Police. A second teen, Roberton's 15-year-old friend Blake McCray, was critically wounded in the shooting and remains hospitalized. Howard County Police Department Police arrested 18…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Bites, Beats Tow Truck Driver Over Repossessed Vehicle In Woodbridge: Police Man Bites, Beats Tow Truck Driver Over Repossessed Vehicle In Woodbridge: Police
Man Bites, Beats Tow Truck Driver Over Repossessed Vehicle In Woodbridge: Police A Virginia man is on the run after allegedly attacking a tow truck driver twice in one morning—once biting him and later breaking his glasses, police said. Dorell Montea Farmer, 25, is wanted for malicious wounding, assault and battery, as well as destruction of property following the violent encounters in Woodbridge and along Richmond Highway on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to Prince William County Police. The drama unfolded around 10:30 a.m. when a tow truck operator was in the process of repossessing a vehicle in the 16600 block of River Ridge Boulevard.  That’s when Farmer, the v…

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by Zak Failla
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