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

Hyattsville, MD
On Your Side
Maryland Community Saves Beloved Hyattsville Meadery After Owners Feared It Would Close Maryland Community Saves Beloved Hyattsville Meadery After Owners Feared It Would Close Maryland Community Saves Beloved Hyattsville Meadery After Owners Feared It Would Close
Maryland Community Saves Beloved Hyattsville Meadery After Owners Feared It Would Close Less than a month ago, Maryland Meadworks wasn't sure it would survive the year. Today, the beloved Hyattsville gathering place known to many as "Hyattsville's Living Room" is looking ahead to 2027 after an extraordinary outpouring of support from hundreds of neighbors, customers and fellow small business owners who refused to let it disappear. The locally owned meadery launched a GoFundMe campaign in late June after owners Ken Carter and Rumi Matsuyama revealed that soaring expenses had far outpaced sales, leaving them unable to commit to a lease beyond the end of 2026. Without help, they…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Wrong-Way Driver Killed After Running Red Light, Slamming Into Truck In Woodbridge (DEVELOPING) Wrong-Way Driver Killed After Running Red Light, Slamming Into Truck In Woodbridge (DEVELOPING) Wrong-Way Driver Killed After Running Red Light, Slamming Into Truck In Woodbridge (DEVELOPING)
Wrong-Way Driver Killed After Running Red Light, Slamming Into Truck In Woodbridge (Developing) A wrong-way drive through a red light ended in a deadly crash on a Virginia roadway overnight, police say. The fatal wreck happened around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, July 24, along Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge, where investigators say a 26-year-old driver barreled through a red light before crossing into oncoming lanes and crashing into a parked highway safety truck. Byron Ezequiel Guerrero, of Woodbridge, was behind the wheel of a 2012 Nissan Altima traveling westbound on Prince William Parkway near Minnieville Road when he continued through the red light, according to the Prince William…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Fast-Moving Electrical Fire Forces Silver Spring Family, Cat From Home In Middle Of The Night Fast-Moving Electrical Fire Forces Silver Spring Family, Cat From Home In Middle Of The Night Fast-Moving Electrical Fire Forces Silver Spring Family, Cat From Home In Middle Of The Night
Fast-Moving Electrical Fire Forces Silver Spring Family, Cat From Home In Middle Of The Night A middle-of-the-night electrical fire forced two Maryland residents and their cat to flee their home with little time to spare. Firefighters were dispatched at 12:38 a.m. on Friday, July 24, to the 1100 block of Tiffany Road in Silver Spring, where they found flames burning on the first floor of a single-family home, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service officials. Crews quickly went to work attacking the fire, bringing it under control before it spread further through the house. The two adults living in the home escaped safely along with their cat.  No injuries were…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Your Community
Montgomery Officials Push Back After Potomac River ICE Incident, Clarify County's Role Montgomery Officials Push Back After Potomac River ICE Incident, Clarify County's Role Montgomery Officials Push Back After Potomac River ICE Incident, Clarify County's Role
Montgomery Officials Push Back After Potomac River ICE Incident, Clarify County's Role Montgomery County leaders are pushing back after a dramatic ICE operation along the Clara Barton Parkway ended with multiple people in the Potomac River, making one thing clear: County police and firefighters were there to save lives, not help make arrests. In a joint statement released on Thursday, July 23, County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Natali Fani-González said the chaos that unfolded near Lock 7 the day before has fueled fear in the community and stressed that Montgomery County agencies did not participate in federal immigration enforcement. "Yesterday's incid…

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by Zak Failla
Severna Park, MD
Breaking News
Diesel Spill, Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Snarl Traffic On Route 2 In Severna Park (PHOTOS) Diesel Spill, Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Snarl Traffic On Route 2 In Severna Park (PHOTOS) Diesel Spill, Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Snarl Traffic On Route 2 In Severna Park (PHOTOS)
Diesel Spill, Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Snarl Traffic On Route 2 In Severna Park (Photos) Drivers in Maryland faced significant delays on Friday, July 24, after a tractor-trailer jackknifed in the median along Route 2 in Severna Park, spilling diesel fuel across the roadway. The crash happened near Ritchie Court, where crews with the Maryland Department of the Environment's Emergency Response Division were dispatched to contain the fuel spill while towing crews worked to remove the disabled truck. MD Environment Photos from the scene show the tractor separated from the roadway with its cab heavily damaged and a mangled diesel tank lying nearby after the impact. MD Environme…

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Former Harford County EMT Paid Children For Sexual Abuse Materials, Feds Allege Former Harford County EMT Paid Children For Sexual Abuse Materials, Feds Allege Former Harford County EMT Paid Children For Sexual Abuse Materials, Feds Allege
Former Harford County EMT Paid Children For Sexual Abuse Materials, Feds Allege A Maryland paramedic who preyed on young children he was tasked with assisting is facing years in prison, federal authorities announced. Lusby resident Jurel Daquone Leo Bowman, 32, a former Harford County emergency medical technician, is facing serious charges for allegedly preying on young children through social media. According to the indictment, between August 2022 and April 2026, Bowman sexually exploited minors using his cellphone and an online social media application. He allegedly paid hundreds of dollars for sexually explicit images and videos of the minors, according to th…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Your Community
Baltimore Landlord Slipped Cash In City Hall Bathroom To Wipe Out $145K In Bills, Feds Say Baltimore Landlord Slipped Cash In City Hall Bathroom To Wipe Out $145K In Bills, Feds Say Baltimore Landlord Slipped Cash In City Hall Bathroom To Wipe Out $145K In Bills, Feds Say
Baltimore Landlord Slipped Cash In City Hall Bathroom To Wipe Out $145K In Bills, Feds Say Sometimes, the strangest meetings play out in a City Hall bathroom. A Maryland property owner who admitted slipping cash-filled envelopes to a Baltimore City finance employee, including during meetings in a men's restroom inside a municipal building, has been sentenced to federal prison after prosecutors say the scheme erased more than $145,000 in city debts. Glen Arm resident James Carroll Erny Jr., 55, was sentenced on Thursday, July 23, by a federal judge in Baltimore to 13 months in prison, followed by eight months of home confinement, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Distr…

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by Zak Failla
Rosedale, MD
Breaking News
Skeletal Remains Found In Rosedale Confirmed To Be Those Of Driver Who Vanished After Crash Skeletal Remains Found In Rosedale Confirmed To Be Those Of Driver Who Vanished After Crash Skeletal Remains Found In Rosedale Confirmed To Be Those Of Driver Who Vanished After Crash
Skeletal Remains Found In Rosedale Confirmed To Be Those Of Driver Who Vanished After Crash The mystery has a heartbreaking answer. Remains found in a Maryland creek have been positively identified as a New Jersey pilot car driver who disappeared after crashing her vehicle and suffering a possible head injury last month, police confirmed on Thursday, July 27. Kimberly Gordon, 46, of Lopatcong, NJ, was driving a white 2024 Hyundai Elantra while working as a pilot car driver escorting an oversized load when she disappeared on June 21, NJ.com reports. She was last seen behind the Sky Zone trampoline park on Pulaski Highway in Rosedale, according to police in Baltimore …

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
On Your Side
Last Call: Bethesda's Alatri Bros. Closing Its Doors After 10-Year Run Last Call: Bethesda's Alatri Bros. Closing Its Doors After 10-Year Run Last Call: Bethesda's Alatri Bros. Closing Its Doors After 10-Year Run
Last Call: Bethesda's Alatri Bros. Closing Its Doors After 10-Year Run Another Maryland restaurant is saying goodbye. After a decade of wood-fired pizzas, family recipes, and serving the Bethesda community, Alatri Bros. will close its doors for the final time on Friday, July 24. The owners announced the decision Thursday, thanking customers, employees, and the community that supported the restaurant over the past 10 years. "It is with a heavy heart that we share some bittersweet news," the restaurant wrote on Facebook. "After a wonderful 10-year run, tomorrow, Friday July 24, will be the final day of service for Alatri Bros." The announcement came one day af…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Firefighter Airlifted After Being Struck By Ladder Truck At Fire Scene (DEVELOPING) DC Firefighter Airlifted After Being Struck By Ladder Truck At Fire Scene (DEVELOPING) DC Firefighter Airlifted After Being Struck By Ladder Truck At Fire Scene (DEVELOPING)
DC Firefighter Airlifted After Being Struck By Ladder Truck At Fire Scene (Developing) One emergency turned into another. A DC firefighter was seriously injured after being struck by a ladder truck while crews battled a structure fire in Southwest Thursday afternoon, prompting a helicopter flight to a trauma center. The incident happened around 1:49 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, after DC Fire and EMS crews responded to the unit block of Galveston Street SW for a reported structure fire. While operating at the scene, the firefighter was struck by a ladder truck, according to DC Fire and EMS. The firefighter was treated at the scene before being airlifted to an area trauma cente…

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by Zak Failla
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