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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

Police & Fire
DUI Driver In Stafford Had BAC More Than Double Legal Limit With Unbuckled Kids In Car: Sheriff DUI Driver In Stafford Had BAC More Than Double Legal Limit With Unbuckled Kids In Car: Sheriff
DUI Driver In Stafford Had BAC More Than Double Legal Limit With Unbuckled Kids In Car: Sheriff Sunday Funday took on a new meaning for a man busted driving with a blood alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit in the middle of the day with children in the car, according to the sheriff's office. Stafford resident Martin Magallanes, 55, had to be taken off the roadway by deputies on Sunday afternoon after they were called to investigate reports of a suspected drunk driver who was spotted swerving from lane to lane, drawing the attention of a Park Police officer. According to a Stafford County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, a deputy was called to the area of Garrisonv…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Spark From Welder, Grinder, Causes $1M In Damage At Virginia Magnet School: Fire Marshal Spark From Welder, Grinder, Causes $1M In Damage At Virginia Magnet School: Fire Marshal
Spark From Welder, Grinder, Causes $1M In Damage At Virginia Magnet School: Fire Marshal Debris from a welder inside a classroom at the Academies of Loudoun magnet school in Leesburg on Tuesday afternoon is likely to blame for the $1 million fire that broke out, officials say. At around 1 p.m. on Sept. 17, the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received an emergency call from the alarm company reporting a pull-station activation at the school, an the SRO assigned to the school reported a heavy smoke area in the boiler room reported the situation a minute later. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue crews and several neighboring agencies responded to the scene, where they f…

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by Zak Failla
News
Fugitive Wanted For Murdering 18-Year-Old Woman In Virginia Busted By Feds In MA, Police Say Fugitive Wanted For Murdering 18-Year-Old Woman In Virginia Busted By Feds In MA, Police Say
Fugitive Wanted For Murdering 18-Year-Old Woman In Virginia Busted By Feds In MA, Police Say A suspect has been arrested more than a month after an 18-year-old woman was found shot to death near a wooded area over the summer in Prince William County, police say. Ashlin Yamileth Paz, who has no fixed address, was found with fatal gunshot wounds in Manassas in August in what "does not appear to be a random" incident. On Wednesday, Aug 14, detectives announced that they have identified 20-year-old German Joseth Torres Lizama as a suspect who is now wanted for murder and other offenses. A blue Hyundai Elantra that was sought in connection to the investigation was also found in Fairfax…

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by Zak Failla
News
Driver Who 'Inflicted Terror On Communities' During Multi-County Police Pursuit Sentenced In VA Driver Who 'Inflicted Terror On Communities' During Multi-County Police Pursuit Sentenced In VA
Driver Who 'Inflicted Terror On Communities' During Multi-County Police Pursuit Sentenced In VA A Leesburg man who was super-powered by methamphetamine during a wild police chase that spanned more than 30 minutes through multiple counties was given a sentence above the state's guidelines, authorities announced. Joseph Christopher Daniel has been sentenced to more than six years in prison following an investigation into a reported stolen motorcycle and multiple instances of eluding that led to warrants for his arrest.  According to the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney, late in October 2023, Daniel took police on a harrowing high-speed chase from Loudoun into Fairfax that "te…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
One BMW Motorcyclist From PA Killed, Second Hospitalized Crashing In Maryland: State Police One BMW Motorcyclist From PA Killed, Second Hospitalized Crashing In Maryland: State Police
One BMW Motorcyclist From PA Killed, Second Hospitalized Crashing In Maryland: State Police One biker from Pennsylvania was killed and another suffered serious injuries when they crashed their BMW motorcycles while riding in Maryland over the weekend, state police say. New details have been released by detectives as they continue to probe the Saturday afternoon crash that claimed the life of 50-year-old Dover resident Jason Irizarry, and left Columbia native Andrew Strube, 49, hospitalized. According to police, shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14, troopers responded to a stretch of the southbound lanes on Route 50 in Worcester County near Hall Road, where there was a reported cra…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Murder Suspects Using U-Haul As Getaway Vehicle In Waldorf Quickly Apprehended, Sheriff Says Murder Suspects Using U-Haul As Getaway Vehicle In Waldorf Quickly Apprehended, Sheriff Says
Murder Suspects Using U-Haul As Getaway Vehicle In Waldorf Quickly Apprehended, Sheriff Says Two suspects failed to get away in a U-Haul truck after fatally shooting a 44-year-old District man in a midday Charles County argument, according to the sheriff's office. Rayvon Gordon, 50, and Anton Jermain Wood, 22, are both facing murder and other charges in connection to the fatal shooting of Antione Jerome Whitaker, who was found shot to death in Waldorf earlier this week. Investigators from the Charles County Sheriff's Office says that at around 1:20 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, officers were called to the 11600 block of Lewisham Place to investigate a reported shooting, where they foun…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Who Shot Victim In Head After Argument During Frederick Event Admits To Murder: Police Man Who Shot Victim In Head After Argument During Frederick Event Admits To Murder: Police
Man Who Shot Victim In Head After Argument During Frederick Event Admits To Murder: Police A man who admitted to the fatal shooting of a father of three last summer in Frederick will spend decades in prison after pleading guilty to murder, authorities announced on Tuesday afternoon. Jeffrey Whitney Bryan, Jr., 31, was arrested in February by members of the Frederick Police Department following a lengthy investigation into the fatal shooting of Governor Thomas Johnson High School grad Tayquan Palmer in July 2023. On Thursday, July 11, the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office announced that Bryan pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, which was accepted by a judge, officials …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Firefighters In Virginia Investigating Blaze That Broke Out At Academies Of Loudoun Firefighters In Virginia Investigating Blaze That Broke Out At Academies Of Loudoun
Firefighters In Virginia Investigating Blaze That Broke Out At Academies Of Loudoun One firefighter and one civilian were injured on Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out at the Academies of Loudoun magnet school.  Loudoun County Fire and Rescue crews were called to a reported fire at the school that was quickly knocked down after all students were safely evacuated from the building before firefighters arrived, officials said. Officials said that there was a small structure fire at the school that was quickly put out. There was an increased public safety presence at around around school grounds throughout Tuesday afternoon as the scene was cleared and investigated.…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Suspicious Person Walking Halls Of Urbana High School Assaulted Staff Member, Sheriff Says Suspicious Person Walking Halls Of Urbana High School Assaulted Staff Member, Sheriff Says
Suspicious Person Walking Halls Of Urbana High School Assaulted Staff Member, Sheriff Says A suspicious suspect who moseyed his way into a Frederick County high school on Tuesday morning before assaulting a staff member who escorted him out is at large, according to the sheriff's office. At approximately 11 a.m. on Sept. 17, a questionable man entered Urbana High School through an exterior door, and was walking the halls until a staff member spotted him and attempted to take him outside of the building. As the staffer was closing the door behind the man, investigators say that he was assaulted, at which point the suspect fled the campus.  No other students or other staff me…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Three Hagerstown Teens Charged With Attempted Murder After Shots Fired, Police Say Three Hagerstown Teens Charged With Attempted Murder After Shots Fired, Police Say
Three Hagerstown Teens Charged With Attempted Murder After Shots Fired, Police Say Three teens are facing attempted murder and multiple weapons violations following a shooting that was reported in Hagerstown overnight, according to police. Three 18-year-olds from Hagerstown found themselves running afoul of the law following the investigation into a reported shooting at CVS late in the afternoon on Monday, Sept. 16.  Officers were called to the area of North Cannon Avenue to investigate reports of shots fired, and upon arrival, three suspects took off on foot, though two were quickly apprehended. Police say that two of the teens - Hagerstown residents Micah Curtis, …

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by Zak Failla
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