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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
DC Man Charged After Bowie Girl, 15, Killed With His Unsecured Gun, Police Say DC Man Charged After Bowie Girl, 15, Killed With His Unsecured Gun, Police Say
DC Man Charged After Bowie Girl, 15, Killed With His Unsecured Gun, Police Say A Maryland girl is dead, and a 33-year-old DC man is facing charges after police say two juveniles gained access to his unsecured gun and fatally shot the 15-year-old. Investigators identified Bowie native Journee Long as the teen killed during the Saturday night shooting in Southeast DC involving a weapon owned by J’Von Green. Officers were called shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, to the 900 block of Barnaby Road SE, where there was a reported shooting involving Long and two other juveniles. When they arrived, officers found Long unconscious and not breathing with a critical guns…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Students Safe, School Bus Driver Trapped After Bus Slams Into Tree In Frederick County Students Safe, School Bus Driver Trapped After Bus Slams Into Tree In Frederick County
Students Safe, School Bus Driver Trapped After Bus Slams Into Tree In Frederick County A school bus driver had to be extricated after crashing into a tree in Maryland with two students on board, officials say. Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 8, Frederick County Fire and Rescue crews were called to a stretch of Ball Road near Ijamsville, where there was a reported school bus crash with a person trapped inside. Two students on the bus were able to safely get off the bus and were evaluated by paramedics as a precaution. They were later returned to their parents. A police helicopter was requested to assist at the scene, according to investigators, and the driver was ext…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Stole New Truck Caught After Witnesses Spot Getaway Ride In St. Mary's County: Sheriff Teen Stole New Truck Caught After Witnesses Spot Getaway Ride In St. Mary's County: Sheriff
Teen Stole New Truck Caught After Witnesses Spot Getaway Ride In St. Mary's County: Sheriff A stolen 2025 Ford Bronco, a foot chase, four teens running through the woods, and a pickup ride that didn't stay secret for long. Just another day in the life of sheriff's deputies in St. Mary's County, where officials say a stolen SUV investigation ended with all four people involved accounted for after witnesses helped track down the last two who tried to escape. The strange scene played out on Saturday, June 6, when a Lexington Park resident reported that his 2025 Ford Bronco had been stolen. Using GPS tracking data, deputies determined the vehicle was in the Loveville area before spot…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
UFC Fight At White House Means Major Road Closures Across DC Area: Here's What To Expect UFC Fight At White House Means Major Road Closures Across DC Area: Here's What To Expect
UFC Fight At White House Means Major Road Closures Across DC Area: Here's What To Expect The planned UFC fight on the White House lawn is about to bring some of the biggest traffic disruptions Washington has seen in years. The Metropolitan Police Department issued a sweeping traffic advisory this week ahead of "UFC Freedom 250," a multi-day event tied to President Donald Trump's planned White House celebration that will trigger road closures, parking restrictions, and detours across large sections of downtown DC beginning on Thursday, June 11. For drivers, commuters, tourists, and anyone trying to navigate the city next weekend, the impact will be hard to miss. Starting at 6 a…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Langley High School Math Teacher Accused Of Inappropriate Contact With Student: Police Langley High School Math Teacher Accused Of Inappropriate Contact With Student: Police
Langley High School Math Teacher Accused Of Inappropriate Contact With Student: Police A 38-year-old teacher is behind bars after allegedly having inappropriate contact with a student in Virginia. Reston resident Matthew Thorsen, a math teacher at Langley High School, is being held without bond following an investigation into inappropriate behavior involving a minor, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. On Tuesday, June 2, the School Resource Officer assigned to the building was notified about concerns involving a student and teacher, leading to the investigation by detectives from the Child Abuse Squad. It is alleged that Thorsen "engaged in unlawful and inapp…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Officer Shot While Investigating Indecent Exposure Report On Pikesville Trail (UPDATED) Officer Shot While Investigating Indecent Exposure Report On Pikesville Trail (UPDATED)
Officer Shot While Investigating Indecent Exposure Report On Pikesville Trail (Updated) A police officer in Maryland called to investigate a reported indecent exposure complaint on a busy Baltimore County trail was shot on Sunday morning. Shortly before 9 a.m. on June 7, officers were called to a trail off Milford Mill Road in Pikesville when they were fired upon by an armed subject, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. Officers from the Pikesville Precinct had been dispatched to investigate a suspicious person and an indecent exposure report when they came under gunfire, police said. One officer was struck and rushed to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Driver Trapped, Critically Hurt After Box Truck Slams Into Truck In Beltsville (PHOTOS) Driver Trapped, Critically Hurt After Box Truck Slams Into Truck In Beltsville (PHOTOS)
Driver Trapped, Critically Hurt After Box Truck Slams Into Truck In Beltsville (Photos) A driver was critically injured Saturday morning after a violent crash left a box truck crushed beneath the rear of another truck in Prince George's County. Firefighters and rescue crews were called around 9:15 a.m. on June 6 to the 10900 block of Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, where multiple vehicles collided, according to the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. When crews arrived, they found one person trapped inside a heavily damaged truck. Photos from the scene show the front of the vehicle mangled and partially wedged beneath the rear of another box truck. Rescuers worked…

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by Zak Failla
News
Child Was Present When Virginia Man Sexually Abused 8-Year-Old Girl In Leesburg: Prosecutors Child Was Present When Virginia Man Sexually Abused 8-Year-Old Girl In Leesburg: Prosecutors
Child Was Present When Virginia Man Sexually Abused 8-Year-Old Girl In Leesburg: Prosecutors A 49-year-old man will spend decades behind bars for sexually abusing a child under the age of 13 in Virginia, authorities announced. Aroldo Santos-Velasquez was sentenced in Loudoun County to the maximum term of 25 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual battery of a child in Leesburg, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney. In May 2024, prosecutors say the Leesburg Police Department received a report of sexual assault from the child's mother. During the subsequent investigation, it was determined that Santos-Velasquez had sexually molested an eight-year-old girl …

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by Zak Failla
Real Estate
Falls Church Shopping Center Home To Harris Teeter Sells For $58 Million Falls Church Shopping Center Home To Harris Teeter Sells For $58 Million
Falls Church Shopping Center Home To Harris Teeter Sells For $58 Million The next time you stop at Harris Teeter for groceries or Starbucks for coffee at Barcroft Plaza, remember this: the Falls Church shopping center just sold for more than $58 million. JLL Capital Markets announced on Friday, June 5, that it arranged the $58.025 million sale of Barcroft Plaza, the busy retail center at Columbia Pike and Lincolnia Road, anchored by Harris Teeter. According to JLL, Federal Realty Investment Trust sold the 113,173-square-foot property to 11North Partners. JLL also arranged $35.95 million in acquisition financing through Bank of America. The nearly 10-acre shoppi…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Tiny Hitchhiker Rescued On I-395 By Virginia State Trooper During Patrol In Alexandria Tiny Hitchhiker Rescued On I-395 By Virginia State Trooper During Patrol In Alexandria
Tiny Hitchhiker Rescued On I-395 By Virginia State Trooper During Patrol In Alexandria A tiny black kitten found itself in one of the last places it should have been: dodging traffic on I-395 in Northern Virginia. Instead of becoming a tragic highway story, it got a fairy-tale ending. Virginia State Police say a passing motorist spotted the kitten near the King Street area of I-395 in Alexandria shortly before midnight on Friday, June 5, and called for help. At approximately 11:54 p.m., a trooper responded and safely rescued the estimated 4-week-old kitten from the interstate, according to police. The tiny feline was then transported to a nearby animal hospital, where it re…

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by Zak Failla
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