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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

Business
Here's How Much, When Minimum Wage Will Increase In Virginia Here's How Much, When Minimum Wage Will Increase In Virginia
Here's How Much, When Minimum Wage Will Increase In Virginia Virginia workers, can start getting ready for a small, but not insignificant pay bump in the new year. The state’s hourly minimum wage will increase to $12.41 starting Monday, Jan. 1, 2025, giving workers an extra 41 cents per hour.  "The new rate was calculated under the Virginia Minimum Wage Act, which mandates an annual adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). "This measure, published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, tracks changes in the cost of goods and services, and for 2023, the CPI-U rose by 3.4 percent," Virginia Department of L…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Man’s ‘Bucket List’ Pays Off With $50,000 Powerball Win In Baltimore County Man’s ‘Bucket List’ Pays Off With $50,000 Powerball Win In Baltimore County
Man’s ‘Bucket List’ Pays Off With $50,000 Powerball Win In Baltimore County A Baltimore County man discovered his luck runs deeper than a bucket after a forgotten Powerball ticket turned into a $50,000 prize. The Perry Hall resident, who played Powerball for the first time with a group of friends, had no idea his $2 quick-pick ticket from the Saturday Sept. 28 drawing contained the numbers of a lifetime. Here’s how it all shook out: Back in September, with the Powerball jackpot sitting at $243 million, the group pooled their money, bought 50 tickets, tossed them in a bucket, and took turns picking.  The winning ticket had been stuffed into the man’s wallet an…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Internet Crimes Task Force Busts Manassas Man In Child Porn Probe: Police Internet Crimes Task Force Busts Manassas Man In Child Porn Probe: Police
Internet Crimes Task Force Busts Manassas Man In Child Porn Probe: Police A months-long investigation into child pornography in Manassas has led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man who now faces multiple felony charges, police announced. The investigation began in August after the Northern Virginia/DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received an online tip about suspected child pornography at a home on Dublin Drive in Manassas, according to Prince William County Police. Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at the residence, recovering evidence linked to the allegations.  On Tuesday, Dec. 10, authorities arrested Joaquin Manuel Sanchez…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Winning Numbers For Wednesday, Dec. 11 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $30M Jackpot Winning Numbers For Wednesday, Dec. 11 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $30M Jackpot
Winning Numbers For Wednesday, Dec. 11 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $30M Jackpot The winning numbers have been announced for the Wednesday, Dec. 11 Powerball drawing. The estimated jackpot is $30 million with a $14.7 million cash option. If no winner wins the top prize, the jackpot will continue to roll until the next drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 with a $45 million jackpot. The winning numbers for Wednesday's drawing were 13-44-50-52-54 with a Powerball of 20 and the Power Play was 2X. Lottery players have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning a Powerball jackpot by matching all five balls plus the Powerball, according to officials. Pri…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Arrest Of Pregnant Shoplifters In Frederick Captured On Newly-Released Bodycam Footage VIDEO: Arrest Of Pregnant Shoplifters In Frederick Captured On Newly-Released Bodycam Footage
Video: Arrest Of Pregnant Shoplifters In Frederick Captured On Newly-Released Bodycam Footage A pair of pregnant women who were caught red-handed stealing from stores in Frederick County tried to pull a fast one on police investigators but were not swift enough to avoid time behind bars in an instance that was caught on recently released footage by Transparency Bodycam on YouTube.  On March 27, California resident Mirela Sardaru, 36, and Melinsa Stefan, 21, who was identified by her Italian passport, were both taken into custody during a traffic stop after being connected to several thefts in the area when they targeted local shops (click here for the original story on this…

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by Zak Failla
News
Scheming State Employee Who Forged Checks; Made Bogus Insurance Claim Learns Fate: Maryland AG Scheming State Employee Who Forged Checks; Made Bogus Insurance Claim Learns Fate: Maryland AG
Scheming State Employee Who Forged Checks; Made Bogus Insurance Claim Learns Fate: Maryland AG A former Maryland Department of Labor employee is heading to jail after admitting to stealing from licensees and faking an insurance claim to pocket thousands. Shanell Angelia West, 46, of Essex, was sentenced to 18 months in jail after pleading guilty to felony theft and insurance fraud, authorities announced on Wednesday.  West worked as a clerk at the Department of Labor for 18 months, where she stole funds from licensees by altering checks made payable to the state and depositing them into personal bank accounts, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. Even after she …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Police Release Sketch Of Masked Man Wanted For Attempted Sexual Assault At Nokesville Park Police Release Sketch Of Masked Man Wanted For Attempted Sexual Assault At Nokesville Park
Police Release Sketch Of Masked Man Wanted For Attempted Sexual Assault At Nokesville Park New details have been released by the Prince William County Police Department a day after a woman was accosted in broad daylight by a masked man at an area park. Investigators have released a composite sketch of a wanted suspect who is accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman on Tuesday morning as she was walking along a trail at Nokesville Community Park. The incident was reported at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the victim said she was approached by a masked man near Hickerson Lane, authorities said.  The woman was approached on a trail near Hickerson La…

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by Zak Failla
News
Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison
Gold Bar Scammer Preying On Elderly Becomes First In Montgomery County Sentenced To Prison The first gold bar scammer linked to an international crime ring targeting elderly residents in Maryland received a harsh sentence while making history in Montgomery County. On Monday, Dec. 11, Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schweitzer sentenced 26-year-old Ravinklejeet Mathon, of Rockville, to 10 years in prison, suspending all but five years, followed by five years of probation, well above the suggested guidelines for sentencing. Mathon was arrested in May after picking up the gold bars under the guise of being a courier.  The elderly victim, manipulated into believing his identity wa…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Hundreds Of Jobs On The Table As Wegmans Expands With New Location In Rockville Hundreds Of Jobs On The Table As Wegmans Expands With New Location In Rockville
Hundreds Of Jobs On The Table As Wegmans Expands With New Location In Rockville Progress is rolling right along in Montgomery County as Wegmans prepares to open its ninth Maryland location next year.  Applications are now being accepted for the new Rockville store, which is slated to open in late summer 2025 near Rockville Pike and Halpine Road in the Twinbrook Quarter neighborhood. The 80,000-square-foot grocery store is expected to bring upwards of 500 full- and part-time jobs to the community and will be part of the new Twinbrook Quarter development.  For those worried about parking in the area, fear not—Wegmans officials confirmed the location will inclu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Knife-Wielding Suspect Fatally Shot By Police At Rosslyn Metro Station (UPDATED) Knife-Wielding Suspect Fatally Shot By Police At Rosslyn Metro Station (UPDATED)
Knife-Wielding Suspect Fatally Shot By Police At Rosslyn Metro Station (Updated) A tense encounter at the Rosslyn Metro Station ended in tragedy when Arlington police officer shot and killed a knife-wielding suspect during a violent altercation Tuesday afternoon. It all started around 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 10, when officers responded to a call about a suspicious man inside a business on the 1500 block of Wilson Boulevard.  The man reportedly struck up a conversation with employees before pulling out a knife from his pocket and then walking out, police said. Two officers tracked down someone matching the suspect’s description on the top floor of the Metro station, at w…

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by Zak Failla
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