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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

Police & Fire
Armed, Dangerous Suspect Captured In Fatal Shooting Of Towson University Student In Maryland Armed, Dangerous Suspect Captured In Fatal Shooting Of Towson University Student In Maryland
Armed, Dangerous Suspect Captured In Fatal Shooting Of Towson University Student In Maryland The man at the center of a week-long manhunt is no longer on the run. A Maryland homicide investigation that began with the midday killing of a Towson University student took a major turn this week after Baltimore County detectives announced they had arrested the suspect they say opened fire along York Road earlier this month. Reginald T. Gray Jr., 33, is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center following his arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Nasir Majied. Gray's arrest closes the search that began after Baltimore County detectives named hi…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Alarm System Spoils Alleged Burglary Crew's Early-Morning Mission In Spotsylvania: Sheriff Alarm System Spoils Alleged Burglary Crew's Early-Morning Mission In Spotsylvania: Sheriff
Alarm System Spoils Alleged Burglary Crew's Early-Morning Mission In Spotsylvania: Sheriff A traveling group of teens who trekked from Richmond to Northern Virginia with ill intentions is facing charges after being thwarted by an alarm system, authorities announced. Douglas Garcia, 19, and four juveniles are all facing charges following an early-morning commercial burglary attempt on Thursday, June 18, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office. The burglary attempt unraveled before sunrise in the 5300 block of Plank Road, where deputies responded to a commercial alarm activation and found a broken window and an unattended vehicle still running nearby. That vehicle had recen…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Frederick Man Monitored Woman’s Movements, Inspected Her Body, Then Strangled Her: Prosecutors Frederick Man Monitored Woman’s Movements, Inspected Her Body, Then Strangled Her: Prosecutors
Frederick Man Monitored Woman’s Movements, Inspected Her Body, Then Strangled Her: Prosecutors A convict who terrorized a woman in Maryland for months before beating her and strangling her for nearly a minute will spend more than a decade behind bars following a pattern of abuse, authorities announced. Ever Mauricio Gomez, 35, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison following a series of assaults involving a woman that ended with her visibly injured after he absconded from a previous conviction for drug dealing, according to the Frederick County State's Attorney. On Oct. 18, 2025, officers from the Frederick Police Department were contacted about a domestic assault that had been rep…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Demand For Maryland Voter Records In Major Election Ruling Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Demand For Maryland Voter Records In Major Election Ruling
Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Demand For Maryland Voter Records In Major Election Ruling A federal judge in Maryland has dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking access to the state's voter registration database, handing election officials another victory in a growing legal fight playing out across the country. US District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ruled that Maryland elections officials are not required to provide the state's computerized statewide voter registration list to the federal government under the section of the Civil Rights Act cited by the Department of Justice. The lawsuit targeted Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis after state off…

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by Zak Failla
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
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