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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

Traffic
Woman Dies After Crashing Into Rockville Parking Garage Near Whole Foods Woman Dies After Crashing Into Rockville Parking Garage Near Whole Foods
Woman Dies After Crashing Into Rockville Parking Garage Near Whole Foods A trip to Whole Foods in Maryland ended tragically for a woman who was killed in a single-vehicle crash inside a Montgomery County parking garage. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22, first responders were called to the 11300 block of Woodglen Drive in Rockville, where there was a reported crash involving a vehicle that struck a barrier at the entrance. UPDATE: The single-vehicle collision inside a parking garage in the 11300 block of Woodglen Dr. is now being investigated as a fatal crash. An adult female driver has been pronounced dead at the scene.#MCPNews #MCPD pic.twitter.com…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Trooper's Cruiser Catches Fire After Hydroplaning Crash On I-495 In Fairfax County Trooper's Cruiser Catches Fire After Hydroplaning Crash On I-495 In Fairfax County
Trooper's Cruiser Catches Fire After Hydroplaning Crash On I-495 In Fairfax County Water on the Beltway turned dangerous fast. A Virginia State Police trooper suffered minor injuries after his cruiser hit standing water, crashed, and caught fire on I-495 in Fairfax County on Monday, June 22, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after 5 p.m. in the northbound lanes near Route 236 while the trooper was responding to a call, according to Virginia State Police. The cruiser hit standing water, causing the trooper to lose control and strike another vehicle, police said. The impact forced that vehicle into the jersey wall. Then the trooper's cruiser caught fire. …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
'Immeasurable Loss': Maryland Firefighter Tyler Hendrix Dies At 18 Weeks After Graduation 'Immeasurable Loss': Maryland Firefighter Tyler Hendrix Dies At 18 Weeks After Graduation
'Immeasurable Loss': Maryland Firefighter Tyler Hendrix Dies At 18 Weeks After Graduation One minute, Tyler Hendrix was celebrating graduation with loved ones. The next, an entire Maryland community was mourning one of its own. Hendrix, an 18-year-old firefighter, recent Kent Island High School graduate, and future US Air Force recruit, died unexpectedly on Sunday, June 21, leaving family, friends, fellow firefighters, and classmates heartbroken across Maryland's Eastern Shore. The loss has sent shockwaves through several communities, where tributes continue pouring in for the teenager remembered as fearless, hardworking, and always willing to help others. The United Communitie…

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by Zak Failla
News
One Stolen USPS Key Opened Mailboxes Across Northern Virginia In Massive DMV Theft Scheme: Feds One Stolen USPS Key Opened Mailboxes Across Northern Virginia In Massive DMV Theft Scheme: Feds
One Stolen USPS Key Opened Mailboxes Across Northern Virginia In Massive DMV Theft Scheme: Feds Ibrahim De La Cruz didn't just get caught on camera. He practically posed for it. A Maryland-linked mail theft spree that stretched across luxury apartment buildings in the DMV unraveled after investigators tracked a DC man accused of robbing a postal worker, stealing USPS master keys, and then helping himself to residents' mail from Washington to Northern Virginia and beyond, federal prosecutors announced Monday, June 22. The guilty plea came from the 26-year-old DC man known as "Black Migo," who admitted in federal court to robbing a US Postal Service maintenance worker and using the sto…

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by Zak Failla
Business
The Search Is Over: Stolen Martin Guitar Returns To Bel Air Music Shop After Multi-State Hunt The Search Is Over: Stolen Martin Guitar Returns To Bel Air Music Shop After Multi-State Hunt
The Search Is Over: Stolen Martin Guitar Returns To Bel Air Music Shop After Multi-State Hunt It took a detour through New Jersey, a storage unit, and a multi-state theft investigation. But one very famous Maryland guitar is finally back where it belongs. A vintage 1947 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar stolen from Music Land earlier this year has been recovered and returned to its owner, bringing a happy ending to one of Bel Air's most talked-about theft cases. The nearly 80-year-old instrument, valued at approximately $16,000, was stolen from Music Land on Gateway Drive in Bel Air on Monday, Feb. 3, according to the Bel Air Police Department. At the time, investigators said three suspe…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Future Cut Short: Maryland Mom Mourns Daughter Weeks After Graduation, Full-Ride To Hampton Future Cut Short: Maryland Mom Mourns Daughter Weeks After Graduation, Full-Ride To Hampton
Future Cut Short: Maryland Mom Mourns Daughter Weeks After Graduation, Full-Ride To Hampton The photos are almost impossible to look at now. In one, Genelle Marshall beams in her white graduation cap and gown, a Class of 2026 tassel hanging beside her face. In another, she's celebrating a full-ride scholarship to Hampton University, where she planned to study computer science this fall. And in one of the last public photos shared before her death, her mother, Nakisha Yates, stands beside her holding a giant "2026" sign, proudly celebrating the future they had spent years building together. Now, just weeks later, that same Maryland mother is preparing to say goodbye to her only ch…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Convicted Felon Crashes, Runs, Then Caught With Gun, Drugs At Spotsylvania Hotel: Sheriff Convicted Felon Crashes, Runs, Then Caught With Gun, Drugs At Spotsylvania Hotel: Sheriff
Convicted Felon Crashes, Runs, Then Caught With Gun, Drugs At Spotsylvania Hotel: Sheriff A reckless ride through Northern Virginia ended with a crashed vehicle, a foot chase, and a convicted felon busted with both a gun and narcotics, authorities said. The chain of events began around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, when a deputy with the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office spotted a vehicle being driven recklessly near Market Street and Spotsylvania Avenue. According to investigators, the driver continued operating the vehicle dangerously before pulling into a nearby business. A deputy briefly spoke with the driver, who was identified as 21-year-old Anthony Narvaez-Lopez of Woodbr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Mom Hears Daughter Say 'No,' Walks In On Sexual Assault By Man In Waldorf: Prosecutors Mom Hears Daughter Say 'No,' Walks In On Sexual Assault By Man In Waldorf: Prosecutors
Mom Hears Daughter Say 'No,' Walks In On Sexual Assault By Man In Waldorf: Prosecutors A house guest who spent the night at a Southern Maryland home earlier this year admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl who tried to rebuff him, authorities announced. Elmer Geovanny Marquez-Orellana, 27, is facing a possible lengthy prison stay after pleading guilty to raping a teen in January while staying at a home with his victim and her parents in Waldorf, according to the Charles County State's Attorney's Office. Investigators say that Marquez-Orellana had been visiting the victim's family on Jan. 18 and stayed overnight at their home. In the middle of the night, the tee…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Maryland AG Releases Updated Guidance On When Police, Jails Can Cooperate With ICE Maryland AG Releases Updated Guidance On When Police, Jails Can Cooperate With ICE
Maryland AG Releases Updated Guidance On When Police, Jails Can Cooperate With ICE Immigration enforcement remains a federal responsibility, but Maryland officials are spelling out what local police and correctional facilities can and cannot do when federal authorities come calling. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown released updated statewide guidance on Monday, June 22, outlining how Maryland law enforcement agencies should handle interactions with federal immigration authorities under the Community Trust Act and other recently enacted laws. The guidance applies to state and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities across Maryland and was distributed to…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman, Dog Inside As Suspect Rams 2 Deputies' Cruisers During Spotsylvania Chase, Sheriff Says Woman, Dog Inside As Suspect Rams 2 Deputies' Cruisers During Spotsylvania Chase, Sheriff Says
Woman, Dog Inside As Suspect Rams 2 Deputies' Cruisers During Spotsylvania Chase, Sheriff Says A domestic dispute call ended with two police cruisers damaged and a man behind bars in Northern Virginia during a wild pursuit, officials say. Deputies from the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office were called on Friday, June 19, to the 4900 block of Plank Road to investigate a reported violent domestic dispute in the roadway. Upon arrival, deputies found the vehicle and attempted to speak with Keith Knowles Jr., who was inside with a woman. Instead of speaking with first responders, he fled with her and a dog still inside. Investigators say deputies attempted a traffic stop, which led to a purs…

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by Zak Failla
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