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

Gaithersburg, MD
Obituaries
High School Swimmer, Lifeguard Killed In Darnestown Jeep Crash Identified By Police (UPDATED) High School Swimmer, Lifeguard Killed In Darnestown Jeep Crash Identified By Police (UPDATED) High School Swimmer, Lifeguard Killed In Darnestown Jeep Crash Identified By Police (UPDATED)
High School Swimmer, Lifeguard Killed In Darnestown Jeep Crash Identified By Police (Updated) A Maryland teenager who spent a decade on a local swim team and worked as a lifeguard has been identified as the 17-year-old killed in a violent early-morning crash. Ethan Ramos, of Germantown, was an 11th-grade student at Northwest High School in Montgomery County, where he was remembered as a kind and thoughtful teenager who made lasting friendships. Ramos was driving a 2014 Jeep Wrangler north on Riffle Ford Road near Seneca Creek Trail around 3:19 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when he lost control of the vehicle, according to Montgomery County Police. The Jeep left the roadway, struck mu…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Gym Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Wounded Before Gunman Barricade Ends (UPDATED) DC Gym Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Wounded Before Gunman Barricade Ends (UPDATED) DC Gym Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Wounded Before Gunman Barricade Ends (UPDATED)
DC Gym Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Wounded Before Gunman Barricade Ends (Updated) A shooting at a DC gym Thursday morning left five people wounded and sparked a massive police response as a suspected gunman barricaded themselves inside a nearby apartment building before authorities declared the scene safe. The shooting was reported around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, near VIDA Fitness at 15th and P streets NW in Logan Circle, where police said at least one victim was found inside the gym. According to preliminary reports, the suspect opened fire outside the gym before continuing to shoot inside, then retreated through a parking garage into the apartment building above th…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Social Media Threats Prompt Increased Police Presence At Alexandria High School Social Media Threats Prompt Increased Police Presence At Alexandria High School Social Media Threats Prompt Increased Police Presence At Alexandria High School
Social Media Threats Prompt Increased Police Presence At Alexandria High School Police are stepping up security at a Northern Virginia high school after threatening social media posts prompted an investigation. The Alexandria Police Department announced on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that officers will increase their presence at Alexandria City High School campuses as investigators look into threatening posts referencing the school. Police have not disclosed what the posts said, when they were made, or whether investigators believe the threats are credible. School resource officers remain active in the schools, and the increased police presence is being implemented as a preca…

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by Zak Failla
Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
Man Pictured In Air Force Uniform Reported Critically Missing In DC (DEVELOPING) Man Pictured In Air Force Uniform Reported Critically Missing In DC (DEVELOPING) Man Pictured In Air Force Uniform Reported Critically Missing In DC (DEVELOPING)
Man Pictured In Air Force Uniform Reported Critically Missing In DC (Developing) Authorities in DC are searching for a 44-year-old man pictured in a US Air Force uniform who has been reported critically missing. Carlos Wilkinson was last seen around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the 1900 block of H Street NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Police issued a critical missing-person alert on Wednesday, Nov. 11, asking the public for help locating him. Wilkinson is described as being a Pacific Islander who is 5-foot-9 and weighing approximately 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He is clean-shaven and has a military-style haircut. He was last se…

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by Zak Failla
Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
Teen Dies Days After Being Struck By Car Near Chantilly High School (UPDATED) Teen Dies Days After Being Struck By Car Near Chantilly High School (UPDATED) Teen Dies Days After Being Struck By Car Near Chantilly High School (UPDATED)
Teen Dies Days After Being Struck By Car Near Chantilly High School (Updated) A teenage boy who was hospitalized with critical injuries after being struck by a car near a Virginia high school has died, police confirmed. Shortly before 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, officers from the Fairfax County Police Department were called to a stretch of the 4200 block of Stringfellow Road near Chantilly High School when a teen was hit. The teenager was treated at the scene by first responders and rushed to an area hospital, where he died six days later. Investigators believe a 2016 Volkswagen was traveling northbound on Stringfellow Road when the teenager was struck as he was…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Line Family Escapes Raging Inferno With Help From Neighbors, Loses 2 Dogs (PHOTOS) Maryland Line Family Escapes Raging Inferno With Help From Neighbors, Loses 2 Dogs (PHOTOS) Maryland Line Family Escapes Raging Inferno With Help From Neighbors, Loses 2 Dogs (PHOTOS)
Maryland Line Family Escapes Raging Inferno With Help From Neighbors, Loses 2 Dogs (Photos) A Maryland family escaped a raging overnight fire with help from two neighbors, but their longtime home was destroyed and two family dogs were killed. The fire broke out around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, in the 21500 block of York Road in Maryland Line, a small Baltimore County community near the Pennsylvania border. Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames tearing through the two-story duplex, where initial reports indicated people may still have been trapped inside, according to Rose Fire Company #1. Crews began searching the building, but worsening conditions and difficulties esta…

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by Zak Failla
Landover, MD
Breaking News
Two Men Charged With Murder Of 24-Year-Old Found Shot Dead In Landover Apartment: Police Two Men Charged With Murder Of 24-Year-Old Found Shot Dead In Landover Apartment: Police Two Men Charged With Murder Of 24-Year-Old Found Shot Dead In Landover Apartment: Police
Two Men Charged With Murder Of 24-Year-Old Found Shot Dead In Landover Apartment: Police More than a week after 24-year-old Chrystopher Hagans was found shot to death in a Maryland apartment building, police say two men have been arrested for his murder. Corey Johnson, 33, of Landover, and Aaron Johnson, 31, of Upper Marlboro, have been charged in connection with the killing of the Landover resident, who was found last week, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Officers were called shortly before 12:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to investigate a reported shooting in the 1900 block of Belle Haven Drive in Landover. Upon arrival, they found Hagans suffering f…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police
Teen Driver, 17, Killed After Being Ejected From Jeep In Montgomery County Crash: Police A 17-year-old from Maryland was thrown from his Jeep Wrangler in a violent early-morning crash and later died at the hospital. The teen was behind the wheel of a 2014 Jeep Wrangler when he crashed along Riffle Ford Road near Seneca Creek Trail in Darnestown shortly before 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. First responders arrived to find the Jeep extensively damaged and the teenage driver ejected from the vehicle. He was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries, but did not survive. Police have not identified the teen as the…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged
Street Signs Catch Strays In Wild Virginia Shootout: 3 Alexandria Men Among Those Charged A wild shootout turned a Virginia neighborhood into a shooting gallery in broad daylight, leaving a car and street signs riddled with bullet holes as the gunmen made their getaway. Five people are facing charges following the Wednesday, Nov. 4 gunfight in Hybla Valley, where Fairfax County Police recovered 24 shell casings scattered across the scene. The gunfire erupted shortly before 5 p.m. in the 7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue, where witnesses told investigators that a black sedan and silver sedan approached each other before several occupants got out, exchanged shots, and sped away, poli…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police
Nearly 7 Weeks Later, Driver Who Killed Baltimore Woman In Hit-Run Still On The Loose: Police Nearly seven weeks after a Maryland woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, police are renewing their search for the person responsible, circulating surveillance images and offering a cash reward for information. Melissa Nocho, 64, died on Wednesday, Sept. 30, six days after she was struck by a black Hyundai Elantra in Baltimore County, according to police. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Baltimore County Police Department renewed its appeal for information, sharing images of the suspected vehicle and a person investigators are attempting to identify. #BCoPD REISTERSTOWN ROAD HI…

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by Zak Failla
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