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Wednesday, jan 8

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

Machete-Wielding Man Terrorizes Silver Spring Shopping Center: Police A 24-year-old Maryland man is behind bars after allegedly terrorizing shoppers with a machete outside of a Montgomery County shopping center on . Maikol Darinson Vicente Gomez, 24, is accused of attempting to assault three strangers at random at near Westech Business Park at Broadbirch Drive and Tech Road on Sunday, Jan. 5, around 5:45 p.m., police said. When Montgomery County officers arrived, Vicente Gomez allegedly fled through the shopping center parking lot, wildly slashing parked cars with the machete, police say, prompting a foot chase that came to a quick end when he fell and droppe…

01/07/2025

Police & Fire

Adventurous Animal Control Officer Killed In Head-On Prince George's County Crash Identified The 35-year-old lifelong animal lover and control officer who was killed in a head-on Maryland crash over the weekend has been identified by police. Donna Fowble, 35, of Aquasco, was killed in a tragic two-car crash Friday night, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Officers responded around 8 p.m. on Jan. 3 to the 23900 block of Aquasco Road, where the crash was reported, officials said. Fowble, who was driving northbound down the roadway, collided with a southbound vehicle, police said. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died from her injuries hours later…

01/07/2025

Police & Fire

Body-Worn Footage Depicts Moments Before Deadly Laurel Barricade (Video) New police-worn bodycam footage of a deadly barricade in Howard County has been released by the Maryland Attorney General's Office. In late November, investigators say that what started as a domestic disturbance in Laurel escalated into a fateful standoff when a suspect exchanged fire with officers and was later found dead inside the home. The incident began around 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, when Howard County officers responded to a home on the 10000 block of American Pharoah Lane for a report of a man banging on the front door, police said. Bodycam footage of the barricade. …

01/07/2025

Lifestyle

Triple Checked and Verified: Grocery Run Lands Frederick County Couple $30K Lottery Prize A Frederick County couple’s grocery run turned into a Christmas miracle after they snagged a $30,000 top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s Peppermint Payout scratch-off. The husband and wife, who’ve played Lottery games for years, had to check the ticket three times before they believed their eyes and good fortune. “We had to look at it about three times,” the husband said after scratching the $3 ticket at home. Their biggest win before this? A humble $1,000 jackpot two years ago. “After that, it was all downhill ... Until this!” the wife quipped while claiming the prize with h…

01/07/2025

News

Social Worker’s Smile Shattered In Brutal Beating As Family Seeks Support From Community A social worker in the DMV known for changing others' lives is now in need of help to reclaim his own. David Thurston, who has spent years supporting others through some of life's toughest moments, was brutally assaulted, leaving him with severe dental injuries and a broken sense of self, according to his brother. According to a friend of Thurston, "the attackers beat him pretty badly and stole his coat and backpack. "While he is mostly okay, has extra coats, and is getting emotional support from his family, the attackers messed up his teeth pretty badly." The attack, wh…

01/07/2025

Police & Fire

Driver Fled Through Drainage Pipes Under I-495 After Hit-Run In Virginia: State PD (Updated) A suspect involved in several hit-and-runs on I-495 on Monday afternoon has been identified, but is still at large following a wild chase through a drainage system under the highway, state police say. The chaos began around 2:40 p.m. Jan. 6 along the eastbound lanes of the interstate near Eisenhower Avenue when troopers were investigating two crashes. A third crash happened behind them, and one of the drivers involved—a Hispanic man—sped off from the scene after briefly stopping, state police said. The driver, now identified as Victor Caneza, 38, made it less than a mile before getti…

01/07/2025

Traffic

Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Snarls I-70 Traffic In Frederick County A jackknifed tractor-trailer caused significant delays on I-70 in Frederick County near the Washington County border on Tuesday morning, officials said. The crash, which occurred near the eastbound fast lane and westbound left shoulder, resulted in no reported injuries, according to the Washington County Division of Emergency Services. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews were on the scene pumping fuel from the truck's saddle tanks, with an assist from first responders out of Washington County. The Maryland State Highway Administration was also present, awaiting a heavy to…

01/07/2025

Weather

Here's How Much Snow Fell In These DMV Communities During Storm (Updated) With the DMV beginning to dig out after being battered by snow during the first major winter storm of 2025, the National Weather Service is providing final snowfall totals throughout the region. More than a foot fell in some remote parts of Maryland, while nearly every municipality in Virginia reported at least five inches of fresh powder that fell during the two-day storm. Temperatures will stay low moving forward, but DMV residents can expect at least some sun during the next few days before another possible storm begins to form on Friday and into Saturday. The Winter Storm Warnin…

01/07/2025

Business

Portnoy Praises Popular Baltimore Pizzeria With Tragic Backstory El Presidente was back in Maryland in his latest "One Bite" review to showcase at Frank's Pizza & Pasta in Baltimore, where he was treated to a tasty pie and a thought-provoking tale. Dave Portnoy stopped by the popular eatery during his trek down the East Coast over the holidays, and he was impressed. by both the slice, a bonus cheesesteak - spoiler, he liked that too - as well as the story of the restaurant's history. According to the owner, his father and his cousin Frank came over to the United States in 1981, where they worked at a couple pizzerias in the area of Poughkeepsie, New …

01/07/2025

Lifestyle

Winning Numbers For Monday, Jan. 6 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $220M Jackpot The winning numbers have been announced for the Monday, Jan. 6 Powerball drawing. The estimated jackpot is $220 million with a $98.4 million cash option after a recent winner reset the prize pool late last month. If no winner claims the top prize, the jackpot will continue to roll until the next drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with an even larger prize. The winning numbers for Monday's drawing were 17-34-46-66-67 with a Powerball of 14 and the Power Play was 2X. Lottery players have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning a Powerball jackpot by matching all fiv…

01/06/2025

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