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

Brandywine, MD

Breaking News

100 MPH, Four Minutes, One Dead: No Charges For Charles County Deputies After Police Chase A Maryland woman was killed when a police pursuit reached speeds approaching 100 mph and ended in a head-on crash, but the two sheriff's officers who chased the fleeing vehicle will not face criminal charges, according to state investigators. Alexis Cummings, 33, of Temple Hills, was riding in the back seat of a Toyota sedan when the driver fled a traffic stop on Tuesday, Aug. 25, setting off a roughly four-minute pursuit that ended in Brandywine, according to the Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division (IID). On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Attorney General Anthony Brown annou…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Landover, MD

Your Community

From Valedictorian To ICE Custody: PG County Teen's College Dreams Face An Uncertain Future A Maryland teenager who graduated at the top of her high school class and earned a full scholarship to college is now facing a future far different from the one she spent years working toward. Maria Flores Garcia, 19, was detained alongside her mother during a scheduled immigration check-in in Baltimore before both were transferred to an ICE facility in Louisiana, according to loved ones. Flores Garcia, the 2026 valedictorian at Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County, is now a freshman at the University of Maryland, pursuing a future in public health. Her boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra,…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Alexandria, VA

Obituaries

He Plays Drums Just Like Dad: Family Comes Together For Virginia Boy, 9, After Father's Murder A 9-year-old Virginia boy who shares his father's love of drumming and martial arts is facing a future without him after his dad was found murdered, leaving his family determined to protect the opportunities ahead of him while preserving the memories of the man he adored. Joshua-Michael Odell Cochran, 44, was found dead in Alexandria in October after being reported missing, leaving behind his son, Finn, and a grieving family now coming together to make sure the little boy has the support he needs as he grows up. For Finn, that means continuing to do the things he loves, including some that …

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Lexington Park, MD

Breaking News

Three Cats Killed, Fourth Missing After Fire Tears Through Maryland Family's Home Three cats were killed and another remains missing after a fire tore through a Maryland family's home, leaving three people displaced and several surviving pets in need of veterinary care. The fire broke out shortly after noon on Sunday, Nov. 8, at a two-story home in the 4000 block of Wrights Wharf Road in Hurlock, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. The homeowner discovered the blaze, which originated in the kitchen and prompted a response from 30 firefighters with the Hurlock Volunteer Fire Company. It took crews approximately 30 minutes to bring the fire under contro…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Virginia Mail Carrier Robbed At Gunpoint, Then Thieves Sent A Photo Of Their Prize To Maryland A Virginia mail carrier had just finished a delivery when a masked gunman approached her truck, pointed a handgun at her, and demanded something far more valuable to his accomplices than the mail she was carrying. Her master key. Demarih Lockhart and Deangelo Raquan Martin Harris, both 22, of Virginia Beach, have now been sentenced to federal prison for the July 7, 2023, robbery in Richmond, which prosecutors say was carried out for two men connected to a larger scheme targeting postal workers. According to federal court documents, Lockhart confronted the woman as she returned to her truck…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Stafford, VA

Obituaries

Mom, Little Girl Killed On I-95 In Stafford, Leaving Family Facing Two Funerals A Virginia family is mourning a 27-year-old mother and her 3-year-old daughter who were killed in a crash on I-95, leaving the girl's father fighting for his life. Danna Palacio, 27, and her daughter, Ruby Palacio, 3, were killed on Friday, Nov. 6, when a speeding Dodge Charger driven by an allegedly intoxicated Marine slammed into the back of the family's SUV in Stafford County, according to Virginia State Police. Malik Jeremiah Thomas, 22, is facing two counts of aggravated manslaughter in connection with the crash, according to Commonwealth's Attorney Eric Olsen. Thomas, who identified …

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Wheaton-Glenmont, MD

Breaking News

Five People, Four Handguns, Three Arrests: Glenmont Traffic Stop Takes A Turn, Police Say There were five people inside a Maryland car when police pulled it over. Between them, officers would find four handguns, three of them tucked into passengers' waistbands. The discovery came during a traffic stop on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Montgomery County's Glenmont area, where officers arrested two boys and an adult passenger on weapons charges. Officers with the department's 4th District Community Action Team spotted the vehicle traveling along Randolph Road toward New Hampshire Avenue before pulling it over near East Randolph Road and Kara Lane. Police did not say what prompted the stop.…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Annapolis, MD

Breaking News

Maryland Unemployment Insider Turned Fraud Into A Side Hustle, Now She's Going To Prison Katrina McCant had the kind of access most fraudsters could only dream about. Working inside Maryland's unemployment system, the 41-year-old Baltimore woman could approve documents, remove fraud holds and make changes to claims. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal prosecutors say she used those privileges to line her own pockets. Now she's headed to federal prison. McCant was sentenced on Monday, Nov. 9, to four years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. She also agreed to pay $753,5…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Leesburg, VA

Breaking News

Leesburg E-Biker Killed In Overnight Crash, Pickup Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter: Police A Virginia man riding an electric bicycle was killed in an overnight crash involving a pickup truck whose driver is now facing DUI manslaughter charges, police announced. Clayton P. Templeton, 32, of Middleburg, was arrested following the crash that killed a 38-year-old Leesburg man shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to the Leesburg Police Department. Officers were called to the intersection of East Market Street and Prosperity Avenue at approximately 12:06 a.m., where an e-bike and pickup truck had been involved in a collision. The e-bike rider suffered fatal injuries i…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

'Kids Are Here To Be Used': DC Man's Chilling Online Words Come Back To Haunt Him "Kids are here to be used." Those are the words 29-year-old Angel Anthony Rios said while discussing child porn with another like-minded individual on social media. Now, the DC resident is heading to prison for 46 months, according to federal authorities. What began as a social media conversation about topics including politics on Dec. 18, 2025, took a disturbing turn when Rios revealed his sexual interest in children. He went on to share videos showing the sexual abuse of a 3-year-old boy, according to federal prosecutors. Rios was arrested on Jan. 23 and pleaded guilty to possess…

by Zak Failla

11/10/2026

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