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

Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Romanian 'Bonnie And Clyde' Used Hugs To Steal Jewelry In Maryland, Beyond: DHS Romanian 'Bonnie And Clyde' Used Hugs To Steal Jewelry In Maryland, Beyond: DHS Romanian 'Bonnie And Clyde' Used Hugs To Steal Jewelry In Maryland, Beyond: DHS
Romanian 'Bonnie And Clyde' Used Hugs To Steal Jewelry In Maryland, Beyond: DHS A modern-day Bonnie and Clyde traded bank robberies for stolen necklaces, using hugs and sleight of hand to make off with thousands of dollars in jewelry from unsuspecting victims in Maryland and beyond, according to DHS. The Romanian couple, Rudi Lacatusu and Mirabela Lacatusu, have been linked to at least 14 reported jewelry thefts across Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, prompting federal authorities to compare them to one of America's most notorious criminal duos. "This 'Bonnie and Clyde' illegal alien couple from Romania has been charged with grand larceny after allegedl…

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by Zak Failla
Lusby, MD
Breaking News
Late-Night Crash Turns Deadly When Lusby Driver Slams Into Tree, Sheriff Says Late-Night Crash Turns Deadly When Lusby Driver Slams Into Tree, Sheriff Says Late-Night Crash Turns Deadly When Lusby Driver Slams Into Tree, Sheriff Says
Late-Night Crash Turns Deadly When Lusby Driver Slams Into Tree, Sheriff Says New details have been released in Southern Maryland after a 33-year-old driver was killed crashing into a tree along a quiet roadway. John Lawrence Connor, 33, has been identified by the Calvert County Sheriff's Office as the driver who was killed Tuesday night in Lusby. Shortly after 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 13, members of the sheriff's office were called to investigate a serious single-vehicle crash in the area of Rousby Hall Road and Maryland Avenue. The Lusby resident was the only person inside the vehicle. Investigators say Connor was driving a 2021 Nissan Sentra east on Rousby Hall Road, …

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
Woman Was Nine Months Pregnant When Mechanicsville Man Attacked Her In Front Of Kids: Jury Woman Was Nine Months Pregnant When Mechanicsville Man Attacked Her In Front Of Kids: Jury Woman Was Nine Months Pregnant When Mechanicsville Man Attacked Her In Front Of Kids: Jury
Woman Was Nine Months Pregnant When Mechanicsville Man Attacked Her In Front Of Kids: Jury A man who assaulted a woman who was nine months pregnant, in an attack she did not report until after giving birth in Southern Maryland, will face decades in prison. Mechanicsville resident Jeffery Francis Pappaianni, 34, was convicted following an investigation into a series of domestic violence offenses earlier this year in front of children, according to the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's Office. The assault happened on Feb. 22, when Pappaianni repeatedly punched the woman in the face, fracturing her nose, before kicking and punching her in the stomach while she was nine month…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Woman's Words Before Grandmother Was Gunned Down Land Her In Prison: 'There They Go' Baltimore Woman's Words Before Grandmother Was Gunned Down Land Her In Prison: 'There They Go' Baltimore Woman's Words Before Grandmother Was Gunned Down Land Her In Prison: 'There They Go'
Baltimore Woman's Words Before Grandmother Was Gunned Down Land Her In Prison: 'There They Go' A dispute at a children's basketball game ended with a Maryland grandmother dead and a lifetime sentence for the woman convicted in her killing. Cassandra McRae was sentenced to 140 years in prison for her role in a shooting that killed Anntoinette Jennings and wounded two others, including an 11-year-old child, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. On Jan. 22, 2025, Baltimore Police were notified of a shooting in the 5400 block of York Road involving multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds inside a Honda CRV. Upon arrival, they found Jennings dead and two other…

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by Zak Failla
Olney, MD
Your Community
Still Waiting: Chicken Salad Chick Nears Maryland Opening After Months Of Delays In Olney Still Waiting: Chicken Salad Chick Nears Maryland Opening After Months Of Delays In Olney Still Waiting: Chicken Salad Chick Nears Maryland Opening After Months Of Delays In Olney
Still Waiting: Chicken Salad Chick Nears Maryland Opening After Months Of Delays In Olney Maryland chicken salad lovers are still waiting for their first taste of a new Montgomery County restaurant after an unexpected power problem spoiled its long-awaited grand opening. Chicken Salad Chick, the Southern-style fast-casual chain specializing in more than a dozen varieties of chicken salad, is preparing to open at 18209 Village Center Drive in Olney after its planned Wednesday, Sept. 23 debut was postponed. The restaurant had been targeting mid-October following the setback, though an official opening date has yet to be announced. The latest delay came down to one essential i…

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by Zak Failla
Cloverly-Colesville-Fairland, MD
Breaking News
Morning Commute Turns Deadly After Woman Struck By Vehicle In Colesville (DEVELOPING) Morning Commute Turns Deadly After Woman Struck By Vehicle In Colesville (DEVELOPING) Morning Commute Turns Deadly After Woman Struck By Vehicle In Colesville (DEVELOPING)
Morning Commute Turns Deadly After Woman Struck By Vehicle In Colesville (Developing) A woman died despite the efforts of emergency crews to save her after she was struck by a vehicle on a busy Maryland roadway during the Wednesday morning commute. The fatal crash was discovered at approximately 7:08 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, near Randolph Road and Sherwood Forest Drive in the Colesville area of Montgomery County, where a 4th District police officer came upon the scene. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews responded to find the woman suffering from traumatic injuries after being struck by a vehicle. She was treated at the scene by first responders, but pronounc…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Duct-Taped Passenger's Emergency Landing At BWI Leads To Federal Indictment In Maryland Duct-Taped Passenger's Emergency Landing At BWI Leads To Federal Indictment In Maryland Duct-Taped Passenger's Emergency Landing At BWI Leads To Federal Indictment In Maryland
Duct-Taped Passenger's Emergency Landing At BWI Leads To Federal Indictment In Maryland The American Airlines passenger who had to be restrained with duct tape and zip ties during a flight that was diverted to Maryland is now facing a much bigger problem on the ground. Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, Arizona, was indicted on charges stemming from a confrontation aboard a Dallas-to-Newark flight that was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Anne Arundel County on Thursday, Sept. 3. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment on Tuesday, Oct. 13, alleging that Lundeen assaulted a fellow passenger and interfered with flight attendants and cre…

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by Zak Failla and Cecilia Levine
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Sick Secret: Baltimore County Paramedic Who Contaminated Items With Bodily Fluids Learns Fate Sick Secret: Baltimore County Paramedic Who Contaminated Items With Bodily Fluids Learns Fate Sick Secret: Baltimore County Paramedic Who Contaminated Items With Bodily Fluids Learns Fate
Sick Secret: Baltimore County Paramedic Who Contaminated Items With Bodily Fluids Learns Fate The Maryland paramedic who intentionally spread bodily fluid while on the job will spend decades in prison, prosecutors announced. On Tuesday, Christopher Carroll, 36, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after his arrest when detectives linked the Baltimore County EMS to at least three separate incidents that resulted in people unknowingly consuming contaminated items. Detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department arrested Carroll on Tuesday, Feb. 4, following an investigation that began in November 2025, police said. He was initially charged with multiple offenses, including destr…

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by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Jeep, Second Vehicle Found Off Road After Crash Shuts Down Route 175 In Howard County Jeep, Second Vehicle Found Off Road After Crash Shuts Down Route 175 In Howard County Jeep, Second Vehicle Found Off Road After Crash Shuts Down Route 175 In Howard County
Jeep, Second Vehicle Found Off Road After Crash Shuts Down Route 175 In Howard County A two-vehicle crash that sent a Jeep through a guardrail has shut down all westbound lanes of a busy Maryland highway during the Tuesday evening commute. The crash was reported at approximately 5:34 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, along westbound MD Route 175 near I-95 in Howard County, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Traffic cameras showed a black Jeep stopped against a damaged guardrail, with a second vehicle farther down an embankment near a highway sign. A traffic pole was also toppled in the crash. Both westbound travel lanes, both shoulders, a right deceleration lan…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
They Called Her 'Cray': DC Woman Learns Prison Fate For Violent Robbery Spree Across Region They Called Her 'Cray': DC Woman Learns Prison Fate For Violent Robbery Spree Across Region They Called Her 'Cray': DC Woman Learns Prison Fate For Violent Robbery Spree Across Region
They Called Her 'Cray': DC Woman Learns Prison Fate For Violent Robbery Spree Across Region Ashley Gause helped turn a string of armed robberies across Maryland and neighboring states into a $300,000 criminal enterprise, and now she's headed to federal prison. Gause, 33, of Washington, DC, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to 140 months in prison for co-leading a crew that terrorized employees at more than a dozen pharmacies and cellphone stores across Maryland, Virginia, DC, and New Jersey. Known as "Cray," Gause helped orchestrate the robberies between May 2020 and May 2021, targeting businesses for prescription drugs and cellphones that could be resold in DC, according to fede…

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by Zak Failla
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