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

Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Cops Found Guilty After Assault, False Claims: 'I Maced Him Like Four Times' Baltimore Cops Found Guilty After Assault, False Claims: 'I Maced Him Like Four Times' Baltimore Cops Found Guilty After Assault, False Claims: 'I Maced Him Like Four Times'
Baltimore Cops Found Guilty After Assault, False Claims: 'I Maced Him Like Four Times' A Maryland police officer who tripped over his own feet blamed a fleeing man for the fall, setting off a chain of events that would ultimately land him and a fellow cop in court. Baltimore Police Officers Mordechai Mandelbaum and Menachem Rosenbloom were found guilty on multiple charges on Wednesday, Oct. 14, following an encounter that ended with a surrendering man being pepper-sprayed four times and officers making false claims about what happened. The incident began on June 26, 2025, when the officers responded to a call in the 700 block of East Chase Street and discovered that a man had…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Two Men Shot Behind Maryland Tavern In Dead Of Night, Waldorf Man Charged Two Men Shot Behind Maryland Tavern In Dead Of Night, Waldorf Man Charged Two Men Shot Behind Maryland Tavern In Dead Of Night, Waldorf Man Charged
Two Men Shot Behind Maryland Tavern In Dead Of Night, Waldorf Man Charged Two men standing behind a Maryland tavern in the middle of the night suddenly found themselves in the line of fire when a gunman allegedly approached and began shooting, leaving one fighting for his life. The shooting happened around 2:5 a.m. on June 20 behind a tavern and liquor store in Waldorf, where Charles County Sheriff's Office investigators say Terrell Anthony Burgess, 36, walked up to the men and fired multiple shots without warning. One of the men was struck several times, while the other was grazed by a bullet. Officers arriving at the business found the more seriously wounded v…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Lottery Ticket Robbery Left Two Dead, But Virginia Suspect Wasn't Finished, Feds Say Lottery Ticket Robbery Left Two Dead, But Virginia Suspect Wasn't Finished, Feds Say Lottery Ticket Robbery Left Two Dead, But Virginia Suspect Wasn't Finished, Feds Say
Lottery Ticket Robbery Left Two Dead, But Virginia Suspect Wasn't Finished, Feds Say Two convenience store employees were allegedly gunned down during a robbery for lottery tickets in Virginia, and more than four years later, federal prosecutors have charged a man with their murders. Newport News resident Jordan Isaiah Pierce, 24, was charged in a superseding federal indictment returned on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in connection with the deadly June 2022 robbery that investigators say was followed by another armed holdup less than a month later. According to federal prosecutors, Pierce and an accomplice targeted a convenience store on Kiln Creek Parkway in Newport News on June 15…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Fredericksburg Serial Rape Suspect Was Already Out Of US When DNA Results Came Back: Police Fredericksburg Serial Rape Suspect Was Already Out Of US When DNA Results Came Back: Police Fredericksburg Serial Rape Suspect Was Already Out Of US When DNA Results Came Back: Police
Fredericksburg Serial Rape Suspect Was Already Out Of US When DNA Results Came Back: Police A suspected serial rapist was already out of the country when Virginia investigators got the DNA evidence they needed to link him to two violent attacks on women along popular walking trails. Now, he's back in custody. Fredericksburg police announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that Cesar Paau-Pan, 22, of Spotsylvania, was arrested in Guatemala following a months-long investigation that included two reported rapes, an unrelated indecent exposure arrest, and a critical DNA breakthrough that came weeks after he voluntarily left the United States. The investigation began on Oct. 19, 2025, when a w…

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by Zak Failla
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
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