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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
Teen Told Restaurant Patrons He Had Gun Before AK Rifle Was Seized In Virginia, Police Say Teen Told Restaurant Patrons He Had Gun Before AK Rifle Was Seized In Virginia, Police Say
Teen Told Restaurant Patrons He Had Gun Before AK Rifle Was Seized In Virginia, Police Say What started as reports of a man threatening people at a Virginia restaurant ended with police seizing an AK-style rifle, dozens of rounds of ammunition, and arresting a 19-year-old suspect. Brown Callahan, 19, was arrested and later released following a strange scene that played out during an incident inside a restaurant in the 100 block of Elden Street in Herndon, according to police. Officers were called early on Saturday, June 6, following reports of a man in the parking lot armed with a gun. According to police, private security working at the business told officers the suspect had al…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Mom Behind False Amber Alert Convicted After Daughter Found Dead In Suitcase Maryland Mom Behind False Amber Alert Convicted After Daughter Found Dead In Suitcase
Maryland Mom Behind False Amber Alert Convicted After Daughter Found Dead In Suitcase The Maryland mother who was responsible for a false Amber Alert before her 3-year-old was found dead inside a suitcase has been convicted, authorities announced. Darrian Lynelle Randle was convicted by a Cecil County jury at trial in connection with the brutal murder of Nola Dinkens one year ago, according to the state's attorney's office. On June 10, 2025, authorities launched an extensive search for the girl after an Amber Alert was issued in Delaware following a report by Randle to the New Castle County Police Department that her daughter had been taken from the side of the road. The tr…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Maryland AG Investigating Fatal Crash After 96-Second Pursuit; Video Footage Expected Maryland AG Investigating Fatal Crash After 96-Second Pursuit; Video Footage Expected
Maryland AG Investigating Fatal Crash After 96-Second Pursuit; Video Footage Expected The Maryland Attorney General's Office has taken over the investigation into the fiery crash that killed a fleeing driver less than two minutes after deputies attempted to stop him following a suspected drug deal. New details released Wednesday, June 10, shed new light on the fatal collision in Belcamp, where a Harford County Sheriff's deputy attempted to stop a vehicle on Route 40 before the driver sped away, according to the Independent Investigations Division. Investigators say the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed before crashing into another driver at the intersection of Route 40 an…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Child Hospitalized, Several Suffer Heat Illnesses During Maryland School Bomb Threat: Police Child Hospitalized, Several Suffer Heat Illnesses During Maryland School Bomb Threat: Police
Child Hospitalized, Several Suffer Heat Illnesses During Maryland School Bomb Threat: Police Several people fell ill and a child was hospitalized after they were forced into the heat while police investigated a reported bomb threat in Maryland. Members of the Howard County Police Department were called to Reservoir High School in Fulton on Wednesday, June 10, where there were reports of a bomb threat. Students and staff were evacuated from the building to allow officers to investigate, and a scan of the school did not reveal any explosives, officials said. However, six people suffered heat-related illnesses and a child was taken to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation. T…

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by Zak Failla
Weather
Thunderstorms Trigger Ground Stops At Reagan National, Dulles As Delays Mount Across DMV Thunderstorms Trigger Ground Stops At Reagan National, Dulles As Delays Mount Across DMV
Thunderstorms Trigger Ground Stops At Reagan National, Dulles As Delays Mount Across DMV A line of thunderstorms moving through the DMV put air travel on hold Wednesday afternoon, triggering ground stops at Reagan National and Dulles airports. The FAA temporarily halted flights headed to both airports as storms pushed into the region, bringing heavy rain, frequent lightning, and wind gusts of up to 50 mph, according to forecasters. By mid-afternoon, departing flights at Dulles were averaging delays of 75 minutes and increasing, according to the FAA. At Reagan National, departing flights were averaging delays of approximately 15 minutes and increasing, while a broader ground de…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Young Daughter Left Behind After Father Who Brought Her To US Dies In Gaithersburg Crash Young Daughter Left Behind After Father Who Brought Her To US Dies In Gaithersburg Crash
Young Daughter Left Behind After Father Who Brought Her To US Dies In Gaithersburg Crash A child brought to the US by her father is now facing an uncertain future after he was killed in a Maryland crash. Israel López García, 39, a father of three who came to the country from Honduras with his young daughter, was identified by police as the pedestrian who was struck and killed on Monday morning in Montgomery County. Officers were called shortly after 2 a.m. on June 8 to the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Gail Street, where there were reports of a Honda that had struck a pedestrian. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the driver was heading east on Veir…

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by Zak Failla
News
Beagle At Dulles Airport Busts Travelers Packing 13 Pounds Of Pork, 16 Pounds Of Produce: CBP Beagle At Dulles Airport Busts Travelers Packing 13 Pounds Of Pork, 16 Pounds Of Produce: CBP
Beagle At Dulles Airport Busts Travelers Packing 13 Pounds Of Pork, 16 Pounds Of Produce: CBP A 3-year-old beagle with a nose for trouble just scored another win at Dulles Airport in Virginia. Valen, a CBP agriculture detector dog and member of the agency's famed Beagle Brigade, alerted officers to a traveler's luggage at Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, leading to the discovery of more than 13 pounds of prohibited pork products and nearly 16 pounds of fruits and vegetables. Not exactly carry-on essentials. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists searched the baggage after Valen signaled something was off. Inside, they found a stash of pork product…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
He Escaped Kabul, Lost His State Department Job, Then Fire Destroyed Everything He Owned He Escaped Kabul, Lost His State Department Job, Then Fire Destroyed Everything He Owned
He Escaped Kabul, Lost His State Department Job, Then Fire Destroyed Everything He Owned Five years after being airlifted out of Kabul during the collapse of Afghanistan, former US Embassy employee Said Hashimi is starting over once again. This time, in Virginia. A devastating fire that ripped through a row of townhomes on Wednesday, June 3, left Hashimi, his wife, and their five children without a home, destroying nearly everything they owned after years spent rebuilding a life in the United States. For Hashimi, the loss cuts deeper than walls and furniture. The Stafford father had already endured one life-altering upheaval after the Taliban takeover forced his evacuation fr…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Driver Shot On I-295 Gets Himself To Hospital, Suspect Caught Within Hours In DC: MSP Driver Shot On I-295 Gets Himself To Hospital, Suspect Caught Within Hours In DC: MSP
Driver Shot On I-295 Gets Himself To Hospital, Suspect Caught Within Hours In DC: MSP A Maryland driver who was shot during an apparent road rage attack on I-295 Wednesday morning managed to get himself to a medical center before police tracked down the suspected gunman less than two hours later. Darius Bryant, 21, of Prince George's County, is accused of opening fire on a white Dodge van during the rush-hour shooting near Arundel Mills Boulevard in Anne Arundel County, according to Maryland State Police. The victim was struck by gunfire on the driver's side of the van while heading north on I-295 shortly before 7:30 a.m., investigators said. A passenger riding in the vehic…

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by Zak Failla
Business
'Real-Life Cheers': Supporters Rally To Save 80-Year-Old Maryland Pub Ahead Of Key Hearing 'Real-Life Cheers': Supporters Rally To Save 80-Year-Old Maryland Pub Ahead Of Key Hearing
'Real-Life Cheers': Supporters Rally To Save 80-Year-Old Maryland Pub Ahead Of Key Hearing An 80-year-old Maryland watering hole that generations of locals say feels more like a second home than a bar is fighting to stay open, and supporters are making sure their voices are heard. The Magothy Inn on Center Street in Pasadena has become the focus of a growing community campaign ahead of a June 16 hearing before the Anne Arundel County Liquor Board, with residents raising thousands of dollars and sharing decades of memories in an effort to support the longtime neighborhood institution. A fundraiser launched on behalf of owner Paul Paesch and his family has already raised more than …

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by Zak Failla
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