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Tuesday, jan 28

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

News

Flu Kills Two Virginia Children, Health Officials Confirm Tragedy has struck two Virginia families after the first pediatric flu deaths of the 2024–25 season were reported, state health officials announced. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) confirmed that one young school-aged child (5–12 years old) in the Eastern Region and one teenager (13–17 years old) in the Central Region of Virginia have died from influenza complications. To protect the families’ privacy, no additional details have been provided. “With a heavy heart, the Virginia Department of Health mourns the loss of two young lives. Our sympathies go out to the families durin…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Police & Fire

VA Dad Finds TikTok Creep In Bed With 15-Year-Old Child, Cops Say A 30-year-old man took a 1,200-mile trek from Minnesota to Virginia with ill intentions after meeting a Reston teen through social media, according to police in Fairfax County. Trent Fair is facing multiple charges after a father found him in bed with his 15-year-old child, leading to his arrest. According to a spokesperson from the Fairfax County Police Department, shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, officers were called to the 2000 block of Blue Ridge Court to investigate the report of the solicitation of a minor. Investigators say that the Minnesota man met the victim through Tik…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Police & Fire

Police Identify 32-Year-Old Woman Killed In Multi-Vehicle Virginia Crash The Arlington County Police Department has identified the woman killed in a high-speed crash on Wilson Boulevard that left one other driver hospitalized and multiple vehicles damaged. Xuewei He, 32, of McLean, was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital following the crash, which occurred around 2:40 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27. According to investigators, the driver of a pickup truck was speeding eastbound on Wilson Boulevard when it struck He’s white sedan as she turned onto Wilson Boulevard from N. Vermont Street. The force of the impact caused both vehicles to cra…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Police & Fire

Lost DUI Driver In Stolen Car Lands Behind Bars In VA: Authorities A Baltimore woman heading south on I-95 made a pit stop in Stafford County that ended with her behind bars after deputies caught her driving drunk in a stolen car, authorities say. The bizarre incident unfolded shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, just before 10 a.m., when deputies received reports of Baltimore resident Nicole Wallace driving recklessly down the interstate. Witnesses said the car, which had no tags, was swerving on the shoulder, unable to stay in a lane, and nearly caused several crashes. According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, Wallace's Hyundai was spotte…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Traffic

Truck Hauling Dirt Overturns On I-95 In Virginia An overturned truck hauling dirt and trash was the cause of lengthy delays on I-95 on Tuesday afternoon in Virginia. Some northbound lanes were closed at around noon on Jan. 28, north of exit 118/Thornburg, prompting a heavy police response as crews worked to clear the scene. I-95 NORTHBOUND: Two lanes closed at mile marker 119, north of exit 118/Thornburg with overturned truck hauling dirt & trash. @VSPPIO on scene. Right lane and shoulder getting by crash. About 2-mile back up. Check https://t.co/bLzPuckcCU for updates pic.twitter.com/7ouNkl7pV8 — VDOT Fredericksburg (@VaDOTFRED) J…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Police & Fire

VA Burglar Found With Thousands In Stolen Merch In PA: Cops A Pennsylvania man has been arrested in connection with a burglary at the Aeropostale store in Leesburg that robbed the business of thousands, police say. Philadelphia's Timothy Root was arrested in Lebanon County over the weekend and is being held pending his extradition back to Virginia to face multiple charges. According to a spokesperson from the Leesburg Police Department, at around 5:10 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2024, officers were called to the Leesburg Premium Outlets Investigators found that the store had been forcibly entered, and items worth approximately $6,500 had been stolen.&nb…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Police & Fire

Woman, 18, Shot In Spotsylvania Apartment Found In Vehicle: Sheriff Deputies in Spotsylvania County are investigating a late-night shooting that left an 18-year-old woman wounded and raised questions about what led to the incident, authorities said. The shooting occurred on Monday, Jan. 27, around 10:30 p.m., when deputies responded to reports of gunshots in the area of 5300 Whispering Woods Lane. When they arrived, members of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office found a disabled vehicle on the sidewalk with several people standing nearby. Inside the car’s back seat, deputies discovered an 18-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound to her torso, …

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Obituaries

Westminster Mom, Unborn Baby Die, Leaving Behind Dad, 2 Children: 'Heartbreaking' An unexpected tragedy struck a family in Carroll County, with the community now rallying for a 34-year-old expectant mother who died, along with her unborn child. Westminster resident Lauryn Fazenbaker Diehl, 34, and their unborn baby girl, Rowen, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Carroll Hospital Center, leaving behind her husband and two young children. A GoFundMe for the family had raised more than $56,000 as of press time. A graduate of the Art Institute of York, Lauryn was being remembered in her obituary as a "light to all those around her." "Her love for the arts showed thro…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Obituaries

Expectant Dad Killed During Dispute In Maryland Courtney Zentz and Trevor Dean Van Devander were months away from their happy ending before he became one of Montgomery County's first victims of gun violence in 2025. In early January 2025, Van Devander was involved in a dispute with Benjamin Jack Dresbach in Kensington, resulting in the expectant 29-year-old father's murder. The unexpected death left Zentz and their 6-year-old son to fend for themselves as they continue to cope with a new normal following the fatal shooting. "I’m unemployed at this time and we don’t know when we will begin receiving survivor benefits," she wrote in a GoF…

by Zak Failla

01/28/2025

Lifestyle

Winning Numbers For Monday, Jan. 27 Powerball Drawing With Estimated $56M Jackpot The winning numbers have been announced for the Monday, Jan. 27 Powerball drawing. The estimated jackpot is $56 million with a $24.9 million cash option after a recent winner reset the prize pool. If no winner claims the top prize, the jackpot will continue to roll until the next drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.with $69 million on the line. The winning numbers for Monday's drawing were 02-40-47-53-55 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…

by Zak Failla

01/27/2025

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