101°

Thursday, jul 2

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Third Teen Arrested In Virginia Killing Of 18-Year-Old Found Dead In Backyard: Police The arrests aren't over yet. A third teenager has been charged in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old Virginia man who was shot inside a Manassas mobile home community before staggering away and collapsing in a nearby backyard, Prince William County police announced on Thursday, July 2. The latest arrest came a day earlier, when detectives, assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US Marshals Task Force, arrested a 17-year-old Manassas Park resident at his home. He is now charged with: Felony murder; Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; Cons…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Police & Fire

8-Year-Old Climbs Out Of Hot Car To Find Help During Dangerous Virginia Heat: Police The heat warnings stopped being theoretical in Virginia when a child was left alone in a hot car. With the region contending with temperatures approaching 100 degrees on Wednesday, police in Prince William County say an 8-year-old girl was left alone inside a parked vehicle in direct sunlight for nearly an hour before climbing out and seeking assistance. The incident unfolded around 3:55 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, when officers from the Prince William County Police Department were called to the 8100 block of Flannery Court in the Manassas area to investigate a report of child neglect. Inve…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Police & Fire

Driver Crashes Into Pickup, Tree Before Police Discover Texas Wants Him For DUI: Police The crash wasn't the end of the trouble. A Virginia driver accused of causing a hit-and-run crash before plowing through a field and into a tree is also wanted hundreds of miles away in Texas on separate DUI-related charges, police say. The bizarre chain of events unfolded around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, when Culpeper Police were called after a witness reported a gray SUV weaving along Madison Road and repeatedly striking curbs. Before officers could catch up, investigators say the SUV entered the Southgate Shopping Center parking lot, then pulled back onto the road. Google Maps …

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Police & Fire

Teen Charged In Killing Of 18-Year-Old Working Toward Electrician Career, Police Say An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of an aspiring teen electrician. Bristow native Jamal Dana Allen has been charged for his alleged role in the murder of Michael Sakyi Jr., 18, who was shot and killed in a targeted shooting in Manassas, the Prince William County Police Department announced on Thursday, July 2. Sakyi, a Bristow resident, was shot while behind the wheel of his vehicle shortly after 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, in the 7900 block of Community Drive in Manassas, according to Prince William County police. His vehicle continued forwa…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

News

Someone Tried Sneaking $123K Worth Of Kitchen Cabinets Through Virginia Customs, Feds Say Virginia customs officers opened what was supposed to be a modest $500 shipment and instead uncovered what they say was an entire kitchen's worth of cabinets hidden inside. The discovery was made at the Port of Norfolk, where US Customs and Border Protection officers seized 781 cartons of kitchen cabinets that had been clandestinely imported from China after investigators determined the shipment had been deliberately mismanifested and drastically undervalued to evade customs duties. The investigation began in May, when officers inspected a shipping container whose paperwork listed it as con…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Traffic

Trauma Patient Among 5 Hurt In Gaithersburg School Bus Crash During Morning Commute (Photos) The morning commute took a violent turn. A Maryland school bus was caught in a chain-reaction crash involving three other vehicles Thursday morning, sending five people to area hospitals, including one trauma patient, officials said. The collision was reported shortly after 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of Firstfield Road and Clopper Road in Gaithersburg. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews arrived to find a crash involving three passenger vehicles and a school bus. Five people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, according to MCFRS spokesperson David Pazos. One adult …

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

News

Maryland Cancer Doc Who Billed For Chemo Never Given Reaches $1.45M Settlement: Feds Cancer is cruel enough. Federal prosecutors say a Maryland oncology practice made it even worse. A Frederick chemotherapy clinic and its owner, Dr. Mouhamad Bazzi, have agreed to pay $1.45 million to settle allegations they fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs for chemotherapy drugs they didn't pay for and, in some cases, treatments patients never actually received. The allegations cut to the heart of one of medicine's most trusted relationships. According to the US Attorney's Office, Progressive Oncology & Hematology knowingly sought reimb…

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Lifestyle

'She Doesn't Realize She's Missing A Leg Yet': Virginia Family's Hero Dog Fights Back She still thinks she has four legs. A 9-year-old Virginia dog is learning to navigate a life she doesn't yet understand after being shot while protecting her family, according to her owner, leaving behind a recovery that has touched hearts far beyond her own home. Bella-Jean Newman was rushed to an animal hospital in Fredericksburg after she was shot on Monday, June 29, during what Kayla Baker described only as "an awful situation." "Bella is a protector, and when an awful situation occurred, Bella was unfortunately shot," Baker wrote. "Bella is a HERO!!!" The injuries were devastating. …

by Zak Failla

07/02/2026

Police & Fire

Maryland Murder Suspect Served Warrant From Hospital Bed After Woman Fatally Stabbed: Police Detectives didn't find the suspect hiding. They found him in a hospital bed. A Maryland man accused of fatally stabbing Shonda Singleton, 56, inside a Baltimore home was served with a first-degree murder warrant while being treated at an area hospital, according to police. Baltimore investigators identified the suspect as Toi Stukes, 50, who will be transferred to the Central Booking Intake Facility once he is released from medical care. Police have not said why Stukes was hospitalized. The murder happened shortly before 1:40 p.m. on June 20, when officers were called to a home in …

by Zak Failla

07/01/2026

Police & Fire

12-Year-Old Maryland Girl Killed In Bicycle Crash Identified By Police (Updated) A name now accompanies the heartbreak. The 12-year-old Maryland girl who was killed after falling from her bicycle into the path of a dump truck has been identified as Sanvika Selluka, Howard County Police announced a day after she was fatally struck. The fatal crash happened around 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, in the 2000 block of Daniels Road in Ellicott City. Police said Sanvika was riding her bicycle in the roadway when she fell into the path of a 2004 Sterling LT9500 dump truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The dump truck driver was not injured and remained at the scene w…

by Zak Failla

07/01/2026

Prev Page 1 of 3813 1 2 3 4 5 Next

1 - 10 of 38,122 articles