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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

Politics
Three-Time Maryland Olympian Indicted In Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Vandalism: DOJ Three-Time Maryland Olympian Indicted In Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Vandalism: DOJ
Three-Time Maryland Olympian Indicted In Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Vandalism: DOJ A Maryland Olympian's stop at one of the nation's most iconic landmarks has now turned into a felony case that has gone viral. David Hearn, 67, a Bethesda native, was indicted this week by a grand jury in DC on a charge of felony destruction of property after prosecutors alleged he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during an incident last month. According to the US Attorney's Office, Hearn allegedly ripped away part of the recently installed blue sealant lining the bottom of the Reflecting Pool on Thursday, June 19. The landmark had recently undergone renovations as part of a…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Child Exploitation Probe Spans Multiple Harford County Fire/EMS Stations, Officials Say Child Exploitation Probe Spans Multiple Harford County Fire/EMS Stations, Officials Say
Child Exploitation Probe Spans Multiple Harford County Fire/EMS Stations, Officials Say The investigation didn't end with an arrest. A Maryland EMT has been removed from a Harford County fire company after his arrest in a child exploitation investigation that officials say involved multiple Fire/EMS stations across the county. Jurel Daquone Leo Bowman, 32, of Lusby, was arrested shortly before 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, by Maryland State Police and charged with six counts of sexual solicitation of a minor. State police said the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force launched the investigation in November 2025 into the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor. In…

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by Zak Failla
News
Body Of Missing 16-Year-Old Recovered After Massive Potomac River Search Near Great Falls Body Of Missing 16-Year-Old Recovered After Massive Potomac River Search Near Great Falls
Body Of Missing 16-Year-Old Recovered After Massive Potomac River Search Near Great Falls The search ended in heartbreak. A 16-year-old who disappeared in the Potomac River in Maryland after entering the water with friends has been found dead, ending an exhaustive multi-agency search that stretched from Thursday into Friday. The teen vanished near Sandy Landing and Great Falls in Montgomery County around 6:15 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, after entering the river and never resurfacing, prompting a massive response from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Fairfax County crews, and multiple specialized search teams. Members of the MCFRS Swift Water Team located the boy around …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Crash, Debris Shut Down Lanes On I-97 In Anne Arundel During Holiday Rush (DEVELOPING) Crash, Debris Shut Down Lanes On I-97 In Anne Arundel During Holiday Rush (DEVELOPING)
Crash, Debris Shut Down Lanes On I-97 In Anne Arundel During Holiday Rush (Developing) Something has gone very wrong on one of Maryland's busiest highways. A stretch of I-97 northbound in Anne Arundel was snarled on Friday, July 3, after separate incidents involving roadway debris and a four-vehicle crash forced multiple lane closures during the Independence Day holiday travel rush. The first incident was reported shortly before 2:50 p.m. just before Exit 12 (MD 3/Crain Highway) in Anne Arundel County, where transportation officials reported debris blocking the roadway. All three northbound travel lanes were temporarily closed, along with the northbound off-ramp to MD 3, whi…

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by Zak Failla
Business
'Hell Of A Week': Rocky Point Creamery Hit With Fire, Outage, Drive-Thru Crash Within Days 'Hell Of A Week': Rocky Point Creamery Hit With Fire, Outage, Drive-Thru Crash Within Days
'Hell Of A Week': Rocky Point Creamery Hit With Fire, Outage, Drive-Thru Crash Within Days Sometimes, the universe just piles on. For one small Maryland business, this week brought the kind of relentless, you-can't-make-this-up run of bad luck that included a massive combine fire, a power outage that knocked out its famous soft serve, an apparent drive-thru mishap that flattened a giant construction barrel, and even news that a massive proposed electrical substation could soon become its newest neighbor. Welcome to Rocky Point Creamery's week. The Frederick County farm and creamery in Tuscarora summed it up best in a Facebook post on Thursday, July 2. "Is it unprofessional to s…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Posed As Women To Steal Private Boudoir Photos, State Police Say Maryland Man Posed As Women To Steal Private Boudoir Photos, State Police Say
Maryland Man Posed As Women To Steal Private Boudoir Photos, State Police Say He wasn't looking for dates. Police say he was shopping for boudoir photos. Maryland investigators say an Allegany County man spent months posing as women online so he could sneak into strangers' private boudoir galleries, a bizarre identity theft scheme that ended with a conviction and 16 criminal charges across two separate cases. Mathew Mark Schartiger, 39, was sentenced this week after Maryland State Police said their investigation uncovered fake email accounts, stolen identities, and unauthorized copies of victims' intimate photographs. The investigation began in March after troopers …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Flying Out Of DCA? Airport Warns Of Flight Disruptions During America 250 Events Flying Out Of DCA? Airport Warns Of Flight Disruptions During America 250 Events
Flying Out Of DCA? Airport Warns Of Flight Disruptions During America 250 Events The skies over Washington are about to get crowded, and travelers at Reagan National Airport could feel it. Flight schedules at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) will be adjusted throughout the summer as America 250 celebrations bring military flyovers, parachute jumps, fireworks, and other aerial events to downtown DC. The biggest disruption is expected during Independence Day festivities. On Thursday, July 3, no flights are scheduled at DCA for several hours during the early afternoon to accommodate aerial rehearsals and performances, according to the Metropolitan Washingto…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman In Wheelchair Dies After Being Struck By Pickup Truck In Fairfax County: Police Woman In Wheelchair Dies After Being Struck By Pickup Truck In Fairfax County: Police
Woman In Wheelchair Dies After Being Struck By Pickup Truck In Fairfax County: Police A Virginia woman who was using a mobility device died after she was struck by a pickup truck while crossing a roadway in Fairfax County, police said. The fatal crash happened around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, at the intersection of Richmond Highway and Dart Drive in Hybla Valley, according to Fairfax County Police. Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives said the driver of a 2026 Ford F-250 was turning right from Dart Drive onto northbound Richmond Highway when the truck struck the woman as she crossed Dart Drive from north to south in her mobility device. She was rushed to a nearby hospi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Life In Prison Possible For Lexington Park Felon Accused Of Selling Guns, Fentanyl, Feds Say Life In Prison Possible For Lexington Park Felon Accused Of Selling Guns, Fentanyl, Feds Say
Life In Prison Possible For Lexington Park Felon Accused Of Selling Guns, Fentanyl, Feds Say Some risks carry a lifetime price. A Maryland man accused of repeatedly selling fentanyl and firearms to an undercover officer across Southern Maryland is now facing federal charges that could put him behind bars for life. Federal prosecutors say Paul Dewayne Dorsey, 46, of Lexington Park, was named in a 13-count indictment returned by a grand jury on Thursday, July 2, following a months-long drug and firearms investigation. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Dorsey allegedly distributed 40 grams or more of fentanyl to an undercover officer on eight separat…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Dulles Beagle Kicked So Hard He Went Airborne Still Catching Smugglers A Year Later Dulles Beagle Kicked So Hard He Went Airborne Still Catching Smugglers A Year Later
Dulles Beagle Kicked So Hard He Went Airborne Still Catching Smugglers A Year Later You can't keep a good beagle down. A Virginia detector dog who was kicked so hard by an international traveler at Dulles Airport that he went airborne has made a full recovery and is back doing what he does best, catching smugglers one sniff at a time. One year after the shocking assault, Freddie, the 6-year-old US Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector beagle stationed at the Sterling airport, is thriving and still protecting America's food supply. In fact, Freddie celebrated a milestone this week. On Tuesday, June 30, the veteran beagle recorded his 200th agriculture detecti…

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by Zak Failla
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