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

Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police
Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police A 17-year-old from Maryland was thrown from his Jeep Wrangler in a violent early-morning crash and later died at the hospital. The teen was behind the wheel of a 2014 Jeep Wrangler when he crashed along Riffle Ford Road near Seneca Creek Trail in Darnestown shortly before 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. First responders arrived to find the Jeep extensively damaged and the teenage driver ejected from the vehicle. He was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries, but did not survive. Police have not identified the teen as the…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged
Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged A wild shootout turned a Virginia neighborhood into a shooting gallery in broad daylight, leaving a car and street signs riddled with bullet holes as the gunmen made their getaway. Five people are facing charges following the Wednesday, Nov. 4 gunfight in Hybla Valley, where Fairfax County Police recovered 24 shell casings scattered across the scene. The gunfire erupted shortly before 5 p.m. in the 7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue, where witnesses told investigators that a black sedan and silver sedan approached each other before several occupants got out, exchanged shots, and sped away, poli…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police
Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly seven weeks after a Maryland woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, police are renewing their search for the person responsible, circulating surveillance images and offering a cash reward for information. Melissa Nocho, 64, died on Wednesday, Sept. 30, six days after she was struck by a black Hyundai Elantra in Baltimore County, according to police. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Baltimore County Police Department renewed its appeal for information, sharing images of the suspected vehicle and a person investigators are attempting to identify. #BCoPD REISTERSTOWN ROAD HI…

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by Zak Failla
Lutherville-Timonium, MD
Your Community
From Borders To Barnes & Noble: Familiar Baltimore County Storefront Gets New Chapter From Borders To Barnes & Noble: Familiar Baltimore County Storefront Gets New Chapter From Borders To Barnes & Noble: Familiar Baltimore County Storefront Gets New Chapter
From Borders To Barnes & Noble: Familiar Baltimore County Storefront Gets New Chapter A familiar name is making a comeback in Maryland, bringing books back to a storefront that once housed another major bookseller. Barnes & Noble is celebrating its return to Baltimore County on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with the grand opening of a new 17,500-square-foot bookstore at Lutherville Station in Timonium, nearly a decade after closing its popular Towson location. The new store at 130 W. Ridgely Road occupies the former RH Outlet space next to Old Navy, but longtime shoppers may remember it for something else: It was once home to a Borders bookstore. Now, the space is coming full cir…

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by Zak Failla
Pikesville, MD
Breaking News
Ex-Maryland School Official Accused In AI Scandal Gets 20 Years For Exploiting 8 Children: DOJ Ex-Maryland School Official Accused In AI Scandal Gets 20 Years For Exploiting 8 Children: DOJ Ex-Maryland School Official Accused In AI Scandal Gets 20 Years For Exploiting 8 Children: DOJ
Ex-Maryland School Official Accused In AI Scandal Gets 20 Years For Exploiting 8 Children: DOJ A former Maryland high school athletic director was hiding a disturbing secret involving the sexual exploitation of eight children. Dazhon Darien, 34, the former Pikesville High School athletic director previously accused of using AI to impersonate his principal, was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to 20 years in federal prison after admitting to sexually exploiting eight children. Federal prosecutors said Darien targeted victims between the ages of 14 and 17, persuading them to produce sexually explicit videos that he kept on his cellphones and in online accounts. One victim was just 15 wh…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Firefighter Hospitalized As Sterling House Fire Leaves Behind Nearly $600K In Damage (PHOTOS) Firefighter Hospitalized As Sterling House Fire Leaves Behind Nearly $600K In Damage (PHOTOS) Firefighter Hospitalized As Sterling House Fire Leaves Behind Nearly $600K In Damage (PHOTOS)
Firefighter Hospitalized As Sterling House Fire Leaves Behind Nearly $600K In Damage (Photos) A Virginia firefighter was hospitalized battling a house fire on Tuesday that left behind nearly $600,000 in damage and a family without a home. The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 on East Meadowland Lane in Sterling, prompting a multi-agency response, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue officials. Arriving crews found heavy smoke and flames tearing through the two-story home, as firefighters attacked the blaze from outside before moving inside once the flames were under control. The fire in Sterling. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue The firefighter was taken to an…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Burglar Hits Wrong Note After Breaking Into DC Elementary School To Steal Violins: Police Burglar Hits Wrong Note After Breaking Into DC Elementary School To Steal Violins: Police Burglar Hits Wrong Note After Breaking Into DC Elementary School To Steal Violins: Police
Burglar Hits Wrong Note After Breaking Into DC Elementary School To Steal Violins: Police A burglar broke into a DC elementary school in the middle of the night, damaged property to reach a classroom, and made off with violins, police say. The Metropolitan Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying the suspect, who was caught on surveillance cameras during the break-in at John Burroughs Elementary School in Northeast DC. The burglary happened at approximately 1:18 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at the school in the 1900 block of Newton Street NE, according to investigators. Police said the suspect damaged property to force their way into the building, then caused ad…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Leesburg E-Bike Rider Killed In Crash With Suspected Drunk Driver ID'd By Police (UPDATED) Leesburg E-Bike Rider Killed In Crash With Suspected Drunk Driver ID'd By Police (UPDATED) Leesburg E-Bike Rider Killed In Crash With Suspected Drunk Driver ID'd By Police (UPDATED)
Leesburg E-Bike Rider Killed In Crash With Suspected Drunk Driver ID'd By Police (Updated) A Virginia man killed while riding an electric bicycle in an overnight crash involving a pickup truck driven by a suspected drunk driver has been identified, authorities announced. Orlando Castaneda Henriquez, 38, of Leesburg, was identified as the victim of the fatal crash on Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to the Leesburg Police Department. Henriquez was riding an e-bike shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when he was involved in a collision with a pickup truck near the intersection of East Market Street and Prosperity Avenue. Officers responded to the scene at approximately 12:06 …

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Rabid Raccoon Sparks Health Warning In Waldorf After Testing Positive Near Homes Rabid Raccoon Sparks Health Warning In Waldorf After Testing Positive Near Homes Rabid Raccoon Sparks Health Warning In Waldorf After Testing Positive Near Homes
Rabid Raccoon Sparks Health Warning In Waldorf After Testing Positive Near Homes A raccoon has tested positive for rabies in Maryland, prompting a warning from health officials for anyone who may have come into contact with the infected animal. The Charles County Department of Health confirmed that the raccoon tested positive on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the area of Poplar Hill Road and Breconridge Drive in Waldorf. Health officials are urging anyone who recently had contact with a raccoon in that area, or whose pet may have encountered one, to contact the department immediately at 301-609-6768. Rabies is a potentially fatal viral disease that can spread to humans and anima…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Naresh Bhatt Convicted Of Murdering Missing Manassas Park Wife Whose Body Has Never Been Found Naresh Bhatt Convicted Of Murdering Missing Manassas Park Wife Whose Body Has Never Been Found Naresh Bhatt Convicted Of Murdering Missing Manassas Park Wife Whose Body Has Never Been Found
Naresh Bhatt Convicted Of Murdering Missing Manassas Park Wife Whose Body Has Never Been Found A Virginia man who admitted to dismembering his wife but insisted he never killed her has been convicted of her murder more than two years after she vanished without a trace. Naresh Bhatt, 39, of Manassas Park, was found guilty of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body in the death of his wife, 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to multiple reports. The verdict came after a nearly six-week trial in Prince William County, during which Bhatt took the witness stand and admitted to cutting up his wife's body and disposing of her remains …

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by Zak Failla
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