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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

News
Maryland Church Ignored Warnings About Youth Pastor, Lawsuit Says Maryland Church Ignored Warnings About Youth Pastor, Lawsuit Says
Maryland Church Ignored Warnings About Youth Pastor, Lawsuit Says Days after a former Baltimore County youth pastor admitted to sexually abusing a child, a new lawsuit alleges church leaders were warned about his behavior years earlier and failed to stop him. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, June 16, by Andreozzi + Foote, accuses Central Christian Church in Rossville of ignoring reports about Thomas G. Pinkerton Jr.'s conduct while he allegedly groomed and sexually abused a teenage boy over a four-year period. Pinkerton pleaded guilty on June 8 in Baltimore County Circuit Court to one count of sexual abuse of a minor and is awaiting sentencing in December. …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Suspect Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting In Northwest DC Impacts Traffic: MPD (UPDATED) Suspect Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting In Northwest DC Impacts Traffic: MPD (UPDATED)
Suspect Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting In Northwest DC Impacts Traffic: MPD (Updated) A suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting sparked a major police investigation on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest DC Tuesday morning, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Police first alerted the public to a shooting investigation near Wisconsin Avenue and Upton Street NW, warning residents and commuters to avoid the area. About 30 minutes later, MPD confirmed the incident involved an officer and announced that one suspect had been pronounced dead. Few details were immediately released. Authorities have not said what led to the shooting, whether the suspect was armed,…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Plot Twist: Maryland's IPIC Theater Isn't Going Anywhere After Bankruptcy Plot Twist: Maryland's IPIC Theater Isn't Going Anywhere After Bankruptcy
Plot Twist: Maryland's Ipic Theater Isn't Going Anywhere After Bankruptcy Good news for anyone whose idea of a perfect night out involves a movie, a cocktail, and a recliner that feels suspiciously close to a bed. IPIC at Pike & Rose in Maryland isn't going anywhere. Four months after IPIC's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a new owner says the North Bethesda theater will continue operating under the luxury cinema brand that has become a staple at the popular Montgomery County development. CMX Cinemas announced Monday, June 15, that it has acquired select IPIC assets and locations across the country, including IPIC North Bethesda an…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
'We Built A Brotherhood': Family, Friends Mourn Marco Vanegas After Fatal DC Lyft Crash 'We Built A Brotherhood': Family, Friends Mourn Marco Vanegas After Fatal DC Lyft Crash
'We Built A Brotherhood': Family, Friends Mourn Marco Vanegas After Fatal DC Lyft Crash A beloved father and grandfather was killed in a crash in DC, leaving behind a stunned family, decades of friendships, and a community now gathering to say goodbye. Marco A. Vanegas, 52, died Friday, June 6, after the vehicle he was riding in was struck near 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW, just steps from some of the most heavily traveled blocks in the nation’s capital. He was the passenger who did not survive. In the days since, the crash has turned from a traffic investigation into something more personal for those who knew him: a funeral, a fundraiser, and a flood of memories…

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by Zak Failla
News
'New Reality': Maryland Dad Of Two In Burn ICU After Wastewater Plant Explosion 'New Reality': Maryland Dad Of Two In Burn ICU After Wastewater Plant Explosion
'New Reality': Maryland Dad Of Two In Burn ICU After Wastewater Plant Explosion A Maryland father of two is being treated in a burn unit and faces a long recovery ahead after a blast at work left his family trying to process what his wife called their "new reality." Mike Ball was seriously injured on Tuesday, June 9, in the explosion at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his wife, Casey Shannahan. The blast was reported shortly before 1 p.m. at the plant on Asiatic Avenue in Baltimore, where two employees suffered burn injuries, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department. One week later, Ball has been identified …

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by Zak Failla
News
Shadow Fleet Captain Pleads Guilty In DC After Weeks-Long Atlantic Chase By Coast Guard: Feds Shadow Fleet Captain Pleads Guilty In DC After Weeks-Long Atlantic Chase By Coast Guard: Feds
Shadow Fleet Captain Pleads Guilty In DC After Weeks-Long Atlantic Chase By Coast Guard: Feds A shadow fleet tanker captain who led the US Coast Guard on a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean while transporting sanctioned oil for the benefit of US adversaries has admitted guilt in federal court in Washington, DC. Avtandil Kalandadze, 47, of the Republic of Georgia, pleaded guilty Friday, June 12, before US District Judge Beryl A. Howell to failing to obey a Coast Guard order to heave to, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Federal prosecutors said Kalandadze was the master of the motor tanker Bella 1, a vessel linked to the so-called "shadow …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Maryland Tax System Getting First Major Upgrade In 30 Years: What To Know Before Sept. 1 Maryland Tax System Getting First Major Upgrade In 30 Years: What To Know Before Sept. 1
Maryland Tax System Getting First Major Upgrade In 30 Years: What To Know Before Sept. 1 Maryland’s tax system is about to go dark for two weeks. After more than 30 years on an aging computer system, the state will take all tax processes offline from Friday, Aug. 21, through Monday, Aug. 31, as officials move more than 4 billion records into a new online portal. Maryland Tax Connect is scheduled to go live for individual taxpayers on Tuesday, Sept. 1, according to the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland. The change marks the first system-wide modernization of Maryland’s tax infrastructure in more than three decades. Once live, the free portal will allow individual taxpayers…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
What Deputies Found After Shots Fired At Stafford House Party Led To 5 Arrests, Sheriff Says What Deputies Found After Shots Fired At Stafford House Party Led To 5 Arrests, Sheriff Says
What Deputies Found After Shots Fired At Stafford House Party Led To 5 Arrests, Sheriff Says A Virginia house party was over by the time deputies arrived. The shell casings were still there. So were the clues that eventually led investigators to five young men, a stolen Alexandria firearm, an illegal machine gun conversion device, and a string of felony drug and weapons charges, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to Indian Point Road late on Saturday night, June 13, after reports of loud noises and gunfire near a gathering at a home. A motorist flagged down a responding deputy and reported hearing shots in the area. When deputies arrived, part…

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by Zak Failla
News
Missouri Couple Groomed, Abducted Virginia Teen Before Sexually Abusing Her For Days: DOJ Missouri Couple Groomed, Abducted Virginia Teen Before Sexually Abusing Her For Days: DOJ
Missouri Couple Groomed, Abducted Virginia Teen Before Sexually Abusing Her For Days: DOJ A Virginia teenager thought she was talking to friends online. Instead, federal prosecutors say she was being groomed by a Missouri couple who spent weeks manipulating her before driving to Virginia, picking her up near her home, and sexually abusing her for days across state lines. Now, nearly two years later, both are heading to prison for decades. Justin Johiah Cutright, 41, was sentenced to 45 years behind bars, while his wife, Christin Marie Cutright, 33, received 27 years for their roles in the scheme involving a 13-year-old Virginia girl, according to federal authorities. Specifica…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Gunned Down In PG County ID'd As Police Hunt For Answers In Targeted Killing (DEVELOPING) Teen Gunned Down In PG County ID'd As Police Hunt For Answers In Targeted Killing (DEVELOPING)
Teen Gunned Down In PG County ID'd As Police Hunt For Answers In Targeted Killing (Developing) Police have identified the teenager who was gunned down in Maryland over the weekend. Ruben Arevalo Saavedra, 16, was found shot and killed in the Town of Brentwood on Friday, prompting a lengthy investigation, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Officers were called shortly before 5 p.m. on June 12 to the 3700 block of Shepherd Street to investigate a reported shooting. Upon arrival, they found Arevalo Saavedra suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Hyattsville teen was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Investigators do not believe the crim…

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by Zak Failla
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