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

Parkville-Carney, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Crisis Call Takes Deadly Turn Inside Baltimore County Home: Police (DEVELOPING) Maryland Crisis Call Takes Deadly Turn Inside Baltimore County Home: Police (DEVELOPING) Maryland Crisis Call Takes Deadly Turn Inside Baltimore County Home: Police (DEVELOPING)
Maryland Crisis Call Takes Deadly Turn Inside Baltimore County Home: Police (Developing) A Maryland crisis call turned into a homicide investigation after police say a barricaded man shot himself and another person inside a Baltimore County home. Baltimore County Police officers were called to the unit block of Bayberry Court in Parkville at approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a report of a person experiencing a crisis. When officers arrived, a barricade was declared, police said. After the situation was resolved, investigators determined that the person at the center of the initial call had shot himself and another person inside the residence. The second person was…

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by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Your Community
From Chicken Necks To Ashes: Pasadena Crabber's Livelihood Goes Up In Flames From Chicken Necks To Ashes: Pasadena Crabber's Livelihood Goes Up In Flames From Chicken Necks To Ashes: Pasadena Crabber's Livelihood Goes Up In Flames
From Chicken Necks To Ashes: Pasadena Crabber's Livelihood Goes Up In Flames A Maryland crabber caught fire trying to save the boat that kept his family afloat, only to watch a decade of hard work go up in smoke. Scott Kolodziejski, who runs Pasadena-based Family's Crustacean Station with his wife, Candice Knight, was aboard the vessel when the fire broke out on Wednesday, Nov. 4, leaving the couple without the boat or equipment they relied on to support their children. According to Kolodziejski, he was on the boat when the flames erupted, forcing him to extinguish the fire on his own body before turning his attention to the burning vessel. He went through two fire…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Fairfax Woman Feared Abducted, Police Release Photo Of Man Believed To Be With Her (UPDATED) Fairfax Woman Feared Abducted, Police Release Photo Of Man Believed To Be With Her (UPDATED) Fairfax Woman Feared Abducted, Police Release Photo Of Man Believed To Be With Her (UPDATED)
Fairfax Woman Feared Abducted, Police Release Photo Of Man Believed To Be With Her (Updated) Virginia State Police fear a 35-year-old woman may have been abducted after disappearing from her home, prompting an urgent statewide alert as investigators work to locate her and a man believed to be with her. Idalia Esmeralda Rodriguez Ascencio, 35, was last seen around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at her residence in the 7000 block of Groveton Gardens Road in Alexandria, according to Fairfax County police. Authorities believe she may be with Carlos Gonzalez Castellon, 41, whose photograph and description were released alongside hers. Virginia State Police issued a Critically Missing A…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Hawk Eats Herself Out Of The Sky After Discovering All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet Virginia Hawk Eats Herself Out Of The Sky After Discovering All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet Virginia Hawk Eats Herself Out Of The Sky After Discovering All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet
Virginia Hawk Eats Herself Out Of The Sky After Discovering All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet A Virginia hawk that turned a neighborhood chicken coop into her personal all-you-can-eat buffet spent weeks feasting and snoozing until she packed on so many pounds she could no longer fly. Now, after a month of dieting and exercise, the feathered freeloader is finally getting her wings back, though wildlife rehabilitators say she's still got plenty of work to do before returning to the skies. The red-shouldered hawk, officially known as RSHA 26-2599, was discovered stranded in a driveway about a mile from the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke, where her unusual condition initi…

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by Zak Failla
Greenbelt, MD
Your Community
Greenbelt Police Search For Missing Man Who May Have Been Wearing Only Towel (DEVELOPING) Greenbelt Police Search For Missing Man Who May Have Been Wearing Only Towel (DEVELOPING) Greenbelt Police Search For Missing Man Who May Have Been Wearing Only Towel (DEVELOPING)
Greenbelt Police Search For Missing Man Who May Have Been Wearing Only Towel (Developing) Police in Maryland are asking for the public's help locating a missing 37-year-old man who may have been wearing nothing but a towel when he was last seen. Darrin Dwight Williams Jr. was reported missing in Greenbelt, where police issued a critical missing person alert on Sunday, Nov. 8, citing concerns about his mental health. According to the Greenbelt Police Department, Williams was last seen in the 6100 block of Springhill Terrace, though investigators did not specify when he disappeared. Police said Williams has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and is currently u…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
One Night, Four Locations, Plenty Of Gunfire: Arlington Man Busted, Police Say One Night, Four Locations, Plenty Of Gunfire: Arlington Man Busted, Police Say One Night, Four Locations, Plenty Of Gunfire: Arlington Man Busted, Police Say
One Night, Four Locations, Plenty Of Gunfire: Arlington Man Busted, Police Say Apparently, one round of gunfire wasn't enough for a Virginia man accused of keeping police busy with a string of late-night shooting incidents across Arlington, authorities say. Eric Schaefer, 39, of Arlington, was arrested on Saturday, Nov. 7, after police linked him to gunfire reported at multiple locations across the northern part of the county overnight. The trouble began around 11:58 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, when officers were called to the intersection of Military Road and 31st Street North for reports of shots fired. But that was hardly the end of it. As the night wore on, more rep…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Obituaries
Virginia Firefighter Remembered For Life Beyond The Uniform: 'That Unmistakable Smirk' Virginia Firefighter Remembered For Life Beyond The Uniform: 'That Unmistakable Smirk' Virginia Firefighter Remembered For Life Beyond The Uniform: 'That Unmistakable Smirk'
Virginia Firefighter Remembered For Life Beyond The Uniform: 'That Unmistakable Smirk' A Virginia firefighter remembered for his mischievous smirk, unforgettable laugh, and quiet acts of kindness leaves behind a wife of 19 years and two children as family and friends come together to honor the man behind the uniform. Kenneth “Kenny” Waters, an 18-year veteran of the Henrico County Division of Fire, died unexpectedly while off duty on Wednesday, Nov. 4, leaving behind his wife, Angela, and their two children, Layla and Jackson. Just 57 days earlier, Kenny and Angela had celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary on Sept. 8, marking nearly two decades of marriage and a life they…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Obituaries
More Than A Crossing Guard: PG County Remembers Betty Heck After 20 Years Of Service More Than A Crossing Guard: PG County Remembers Betty Heck After 20 Years Of Service More Than A Crossing Guard: PG County Remembers Betty Heck After 20 Years Of Service
More Than A Crossing Guard: PG County Remembers Betty Heck After 20 Years Of Service For more than 20 years, rain or shine, Betty Heck showed up to help Maryland children get to and from school safely. Now, the longtime Prince George's County crossing guard is being remembered following her death at the age of 66, police announced on Friday, Nov. 6. Heck began her career with the Prince George's County Police Department's School Crossing Guard Unit in April 2006, dedicating more than two decades to protecting students and families throughout the county. It was a job that required showing up every school day, watching traffic, and helping children safely make their way acro…

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by Zak Failla
Elkridge, MD
Breaking News
Wrong-Way Driver, Baltimore Motorist Killed In Early-Morning I-95 Crash In Maryland: Police Wrong-Way Driver, Baltimore Motorist Killed In Early-Morning I-95 Crash In Maryland: Police Wrong-Way Driver, Baltimore Motorist Killed In Early-Morning I-95 Crash In Maryland: Police
Wrong-Way Driver, Baltimore Motorist Killed In Early-Morning I-95 Crash In Maryland: Police A wrong-way driver and another motorist were killed in an early-morning crash on I-95 in Maryland, where investigators believe alcohol and speed may have played a role, state police said. Taleb Ait Zakariae, 37, of Rosedale, and Timothy Summerville Jr., 47, of Baltimore, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Howard County on Saturday, Nov. 7, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers from the Waterloo Barrack were called to the northbound lanes of I-95 near mile marker 44 in Elkridge shortly before 4:30 a.m. following reports of a two-vehicle crash. Investigators determ…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Loudmouth's 'Four-Letter Blessings' Take Wild Turn During Virginia Traffic Stop: Sheriff Loudmouth's 'Four-Letter Blessings' Take Wild Turn During Virginia Traffic Stop: Sheriff Loudmouth's 'Four-Letter Blessings' Take Wild Turn During Virginia Traffic Stop: Sheriff
Loudmouth's 'Four-Letter Blessings' Take Wild Turn During Virginia Traffic Stop: Sheriff A Virginia man who couldn't resist giving a deputy a piece of his mind during an unrelated traffic stop wound up giving authorities something even better: himself. The strange ordeal played out early on Friday, Nov. 6, along Route 211, when a member of the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office conducted a routine traffic stop. It quickly became anything but routine. According to the sheriff's office, a man emerged from a nearby home while Cpl. Booth was conducting the stop and began shouting obscenities toward him. The unsolicited verbal barrage turned out to be a wildly bad decision. As the …

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by Zak Failla
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