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

Alexandria, VA
Obituaries
Alexandria Mourns Man Who Always Showed Up For Kids: 'He Was Their First Call' Alexandria Mourns Man Who Always Showed Up For Kids: 'He Was Their First Call' Alexandria Mourns Man Who Always Showed Up For Kids: 'He Was Their First Call'
Alexandria Mourns Man Who Always Showed Up For Kids: 'He Was Their First Call' When Alexandria children faced eviction, needed a winter coat, or had nobody to turn to, Roberto Gomez was often the one who showed up.  Now, the Virginia community he spent years helping is mourning the man who made its young people his life's work. Gomez was the driving force behind Cornerstone Craftsman, an Alexandria organization dedicated to creating opportunities for young people, particularly those facing obstacles that threatened their futures. According to Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Gomez's commitment went far beyond his organization, often putting him at the center of s…

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by Zak Failla
Burke, VA
Breaking News
Speed, Alcohol Suspected In Deadly Annandale Crash That Killed 28-Year-Old Burke Driver: Police Speed, Alcohol Suspected In Deadly Annandale Crash That Killed 28-Year-Old Burke Driver: Police Speed, Alcohol Suspected In Deadly Annandale Crash That Killed 28-Year-Old Burke Driver: Police
Speed, Alcohol Suspected In Deadly Annandale Crash That Killed 28-Year-Old Burke Driver: Police A 28-year-old Virginia man was killed when his car veered off the road and slammed into a guardrail in an early-morning crash that police believe may have involved speed and alcohol. Christian Bejarano, of Burke, was driving a Subaru Impreza east on Little River Turnpike near the I-495 overpass in Annandale around 2:16 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, when the vehicle left the roadway and struck the guardrail, Fairfax County Police said. Bejarano was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Detectives from the department's Crash Reconstruction Unit believe speed and alcoh…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Obituaries
PG County Firefighter, Nursing Student Dies At 19: 'He Wore His Uniform With Pride' PG County Firefighter, Nursing Student Dies At 19: 'He Wore His Uniform With Pride' PG County Firefighter, Nursing Student Dies At 19: 'He Wore His Uniform With Pride'
PG County Firefighter, Nursing Student Dies At 19: 'He Wore His Uniform With Pride' A 19-year-old Maryland firefighter who proudly wore his cadet uniform in high school was still training to serve his community while studying nursing in college when his life was cut short. Emmanuel K. A. Amponsah, a 2025 graduate of Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Glenarden, died on Thursday, Nov. 12, according to the Glenn Dale Fire Association, where he had been a probationary firefighter since March. Amponsah was pursuing a nursing degree at Bowie State University while completing Volunteer Recruit School with the Prince George's County fire company. His commitment to public ser…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Man Gets Decades To Stew Behind Bars After Deadly Beef Over BBQ Grill: Feds DC Man Gets Decades To Stew Behind Bars After Deadly Beef Over BBQ Grill: Feds DC Man Gets Decades To Stew Behind Bars After Deadly Beef Over BBQ Grill: Feds
DC Man Gets Decades To Stew Behind Bars After Deadly Beef Over BBQ Grill: Feds A DC man's beef over a barbecue grill ended with 22 rounds of gunfire, a murder conviction and a 36-year prison sentence. Irv Duff, 36, was sentenced on Friday, Nov. 13, in DC Superior Court for the August 2023 murder of 26-year-old Darnell Gibson, who was shot three times in the back as he tried to run away, according to federal prosecutors. The deadly confrontation began when Duff got into an argument with his girlfriend in the stairwell of her apartment building and knocked over a barbecue grill belonging to Gibson, who came out of his apartment to confront him about it. Things only esc…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Obituaries
From Swimmer To Coach: Germantown Teen Killed In Crash At 17 Leaves Behind Decade Of Memories From Swimmer To Coach: Germantown Teen Killed In Crash At 17 Leaves Behind Decade Of Memories From Swimmer To Coach: Germantown Teen Killed In Crash At 17 Leaves Behind Decade Of Memories
From Swimmer To Coach: Germantown Teen Killed In Crash At 17 Leaves Behind Decade Of Memories A Maryland teenager spent a decade making memories in the pool, first as a swimmer and later as a lifeguard and coach.  Now, the people who watched him grow up are helping his family honor a life cut short at 17. Ethan Assion Ramos, a junior at Northwest High School in Germantown, was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Wednesday when the Jeep Wrangler he was driving crashed along Riffle Ford Road in Montgomery County. The crash was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, leaving his community reeling. "Ethan was a very loved member of Northwest High School as well as Kingsv…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police
Woodbridge Man Raped Woman At His Home, Then Drove Her Back To Hers: Police A chance encounter at a Prince William County establishment turned into a rape investigation after a Virginia woman was driven to a man's home, police said. Michael Mulgeta Negash, 41, of Woodbridge, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 4, following an investigation into a sexual assault reported at a residence in the 2500 block of Vantage Drive in October, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators say the woman met Negash at an establishment in Prince William County before he drove her to his Woodbridge residence, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. After t…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ
John Brennan's Son Charged In Virginia Child Pornography Case After FBI Finds 88 Images: DOJ The son of former CIA Director John Brennan is facing federal charges in Virginia after investigators allegedly found dozens of child sexual abuse images on his cellphone, including one depicting a toddler. Kyle Owen Brennan, 40, of Warrenton, was arrested on a charge of transporting child sexual abuse material and made his initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria on Friday, Nov. 13, according to the US Department of Justice. His father, John Brennan, served as CIA director under former President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017. The investigation began in April 2024, when Adobe sub…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Obituaries
Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home
Laurel Dad Killed In Hit-Run Leaves Behind Son In Honduras As Family Hopes To Send Him Home A Maryland man killed in a hit-and-run crash is being remembered by his family as a devoted father with an infectious laugh as his loved ones raise money to bring him home to Honduras for burial. Jackson Alexander Pavon-Fonseca, 30, of Laurel, was struck by a driver who fled the scene around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the 7900 block of 14th Avenue in Hyattsville, according to Prince George's County Police. Officers found Pavon-Fonseca lying in the roadway, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified him on Friday, Nov. 13, as investigators continued searching for the driver w…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter 'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter 'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter
'Mischief Managed': Friends Mourn DC Building Manager Who Loved Holidays, Harry Potter By the time November rolled around, James Stuart usually had his Christmas decorations out, ready for another holiday season surrounded by friends and family. This year, the 46-year-old DC building manager won't be coming home to celebrate. Stuart was killed on Thursday, Nov. 12, when 55-year-old DC doctor Matt Wade Lambert opened fire near VIDA Fitness in the 1500 block of 15th Street NW, wounding four others before taking his own life. For Angelo Gunn, who counted Stuart among his closest friends, the loss is especially painful as the holidays approach, a time of year when "Jimmy" was at…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say
Online Stranger Raped Woman At Manassas Park Before Driving Her Home, Police Say A Virginia woman who agreed to meet a stranger she'd been messaging online was allegedly driven to a park, sexually assaulted, then dropped back off at home by the very man accused of attacking her, police said. Jose Manuel Maya Ozuna, 30, of Alexandria, was arrested following an investigation into the October assault at Fairmont Park on Fairmont Avenue in Manassas, according to Prince William County police. The two had connected online and exchanged messages before Ozuna picked up the woman and drove her to the park, investigators said. There, police allege, Ozuna sexually assaulted her. …

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by Zak Failla
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