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

Manchester-Hampstead, MD
Breaking News
Garage Erupts In Flames At Manchester Home As Firefighters Confront Raging Afternoon Blaze Garage Erupts In Flames At Manchester Home As Firefighters Confront Raging Afternoon Blaze Garage Erupts In Flames At Manchester Home As Firefighters Confront Raging Afternoon Blaze
Garage Erupts In Flames At Manchester Home As Firefighters Confront Raging Afternoon Blaze A fire that erupted inside an attached garage at a Maryland home sent flames roaring into the afternoon sky and left an estimated $120,000 in damage, authorities said. The blaze broke out around 2:17 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, at a single-family home on Quantim Court in Manchester, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. Photos from the scene show bright orange flames engulfing the garage area, with thick black smoke billowing alongside the home and a white SUV parked just feet from the fire. The Manchester Volunteer Fire Department led the response, with approximately 30 firef…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Caught With His Pants Down: Baltimore Drug Dealer's Underwear Secret Exposed After Bike Escape Caught With His Pants Down: Baltimore Drug Dealer's Underwear Secret Exposed After Bike Escape Caught With His Pants Down: Baltimore Drug Dealer's Underwear Secret Exposed After Bike Escape
Caught With His Pants Down: Baltimore Drug Dealer's Underwear Secret Exposed After Bike Escape A Baltimore drug dealer had a dirty little secret tucked away in his underwear, but police weren't about to let him get away with hiding the goods below the belt. Robert Young, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday, Nov. 9, to federal drug and firearms charges stemming from an October 2024 arrest that began with a series of suspected drug deals and ended with officers finding a stash of cocaine in his underwear, federal prosecutors announced. The trouble began when a Baltimore Police detective monitoring a CitiWatch surveillance camera in the city's Eastern District spotted Young conducting what app…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
100 MPH And One Bad Turn: Virginia Motorcyclist's Getaway Goes Sideways, Sheriff Says 100 MPH And One Bad Turn: Virginia Motorcyclist's Getaway Goes Sideways, Sheriff Says 100 MPH And One Bad Turn: Virginia Motorcyclist's Getaway Goes Sideways, Sheriff Says
100 MPH And One Bad Turn: Virginia Motorcyclist's Getaway Goes Sideways, Sheriff Says A Virginia motorcyclist apparently thought 100 mph was enough to outrun the law, but he wasn't counting on the deputy waiting for him up ahead. David Jo, 22, of Annandale, learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday, Nov. 7, when a ride through Fauquier County ended with him in handcuffs and facing a felony charge, according to the sheriff's office. The trouble began when a deputy stationed along Route 29 spotted a black-and-blue sport motorcycle blowing past him, just as another deputy had warned him to watch for a bike traveling without a license plate. The deputy pulled onto the highwa…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Teacher's Morning Beer Run Takes Unexpected Turn After Coworker's Tip: Sheriff Virginia Teacher's Morning Beer Run Takes Unexpected Turn After Coworker's Tip: Sheriff Virginia Teacher's Morning Beer Run Takes Unexpected Turn After Coworker's Tip: Sheriff
Virginia Teacher's Morning Beer Run Takes Unexpected Turn After Coworker's Tip: Sheriff A Virginia middle school teacher apparently had something stronger than coffee in mind for his morning commute. Stuart Sheetz, 60, was charged after a fellow school employee reportedly spotted him purchasing alcohol on his way to teach at Battlefield Middle School on Friday, Nov. 6, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. After school administrators alerted the school resource officer, he located the Spotsylvania resident's vehicle and found two cases of beer and two open beer cans in plain view.  When the officer spoke with Sheetz, he also detected the odor of alcohol …

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Murder Suspect On The Run After Allegedly Stabbing Man Multiple Times In Silver Spring: Police Murder Suspect On The Run After Allegedly Stabbing Man Multiple Times In Silver Spring: Police Murder Suspect On The Run After Allegedly Stabbing Man Multiple Times In Silver Spring: Police
Murder Suspect On The Run After Allegedly Stabbing Man Multiple Times In Silver Spring: Police A man accused of repeatedly stabbing another man to death in Maryland remains on the run more than a week after the killing, and police are warning the public that he may be armed and dangerous. Ibrahim Joseph Anthony Diebate, 34, is wanted in connection with the murder of 42-year-old Christopher Schuler in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County Police Department announced on Monday. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging Diebate with first-degree murder on the day of the killing, but have not disclosed what led to the deadly encounter. Officers responding to a reported stabbing in t…

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by Zak Failla
Prince Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Teen Survives Head-On Collision With Commercial Truck That Left Driver Dead: Sheriff Maryland Teen Survives Head-On Collision With Commercial Truck That Left Driver Dead: Sheriff Maryland Teen Survives Head-On Collision With Commercial Truck That Left Driver Dead: Sheriff
Maryland Teen Survives Head-On Collision With Commercial Truck That Left Driver Dead: Sheriff A possible medical emergency behind the wheel of a commercial box truck may have led to a deadly head-on collision in Maryland that left the truck driver dead and a 19-year-old woman injured, authorities say. Chester McDonald, 64, of Middle River, died following the crash, which happened at approximately 3:12 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in the 8700 block of Bayside Road in North Beach, according to the Calvert County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say McDonald was driving a 2025 International commercial box truck southbound when he crossed the center line and slammed head-on into a northboun…

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by Zak Failla
Bladensburg-Cheverly, MD
Breaking News
Two Suspects Apprehended, Handgun Recovered After PG County School Lockdowns (DEVELOPING) Two Suspects Apprehended, Handgun Recovered After PG County School Lockdowns (DEVELOPING) Two Suspects Apprehended, Handgun Recovered After PG County School Lockdowns (DEVELOPING)
Two Suspects Apprehended, Handgun Recovered After PG County School Lockdowns (Developing) A report of an armed person near a Maryland elementary school sparked a police search that forced multiple schools into lockdown before officers tracked down two suspects. Prince George's County Police officers were called to the 4300 block of 58th Avenue near Rogers Heights Elementary School shortly after 10:40 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, following a report of a suspicious person with a gun. Rogers Heights Elementary and other schools in the immediate area were placed on lockdown as officers searched the neighborhood. Police said the search led to the apprehension of two suspects, a man and a…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Leesburg Driver Clocked At 80+ MPH Had One Little Problem: Being 14 Years Old, Police Say Leesburg Driver Clocked At 80+ MPH Had One Little Problem: Being 14 Years Old, Police Say Leesburg Driver Clocked At 80+ MPH Had One Little Problem: Being 14 Years Old, Police Say
Leesburg Driver Clocked At 80+ MPH Had One Little Problem: Being 14 Years Old, Police Say A Virginia driver caught going more than 80 mph in the middle of the night had one rather significant problem when police pulled the car over: The person behind the wheel was only 14 years old. The teen was stopped by a Leesburg Police Department officer at approximately 1:04 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, after being spotted speeding near the Leesburg Bypass and South King Street. What began as a traffic stop quickly took an unusual turn when the officer discovered the driver was barely old enough for high school, let alone a driver's license. Police said the 14-year-old did not have a valid lic…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Woodbridge Mom's Answer To Argument With 13-Year-Old Boy? A Gun, Police Say Woodbridge Mom's Answer To Argument With 13-Year-Old Boy? A Gun, Police Say Woodbridge Mom's Answer To Argument With 13-Year-Old Boy? A Gun, Police Say
Woodbridge Mom's Answer To Argument With 13-Year-Old Boy? A Gun, Police Say A 13-year-old boy found himself staring down the barrel of a grown woman's gun in Virginia after an argument over damaged property took a turn no child should ever have to face. Whitney Jenay Kelley, 33, of Woodbridge, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 4, after police say she confronted the boy, retrieved a firearm from her vehicle, and brandished it during an argument that spiraled out of control. The boy was in the 14900 block of Enterprise Drive in Woodbridge at approximately 3:29 p.m. when Kelley approached him and began questioning him about damaged personal property, according to Prince…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Montgomery County Double Killer Wins New Trial, Only To Get Same Judge, Same Life Sentence Montgomery County Double Killer Wins New Trial, Only To Get Same Judge, Same Life Sentence Montgomery County Double Killer Wins New Trial, Only To Get Same Judge, Same Life Sentence
Montgomery County Double Killer Wins New Trial, Only To Get Same Judge, Same Life Sentence A convicted double murderer in Maryland got a second chance to beat the charges against him, only to wind up right back where he started: facing the same judge and two life sentences without parole. Gregory Jones, 33, of Martinsburg, WV, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus another 30 years, for the 2018 execution-style murders of Ashley Dickinson, 34, and her boyfriend, Joshua Frazier, 29, in Burtonsville. It was a familiar outcome for Jones, who received the same punishment from Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David Lease in May 202…

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by Zak Failla
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