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

Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Drug Dealer Out Of Prison For 2 Months Learns Fate After Failed Pond Escape Maryland Drug Dealer Out Of Prison For 2 Months Learns Fate After Failed Pond Escape Maryland Drug Dealer Out Of Prison For 2 Months Learns Fate After Failed Pond Escape
Maryland Drug Dealer Out Of Prison For 2 Months Learns Fate After Failed Pond Escape Some get away. Some wind up soaking wet and headed back to prison months after being released. A Maryland man who jumped into a pond to escape deputies after they uncovered cocaine and thousands of dollars in cash during a traffic stop is now headed back behind bars for more than two decades. The bizarre chase unfolded on Feb. 21 in Lexington Park, where St. Mary's County sheriff's deputies stopped a 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe near Pegg Road and Westbury Boulevard for a traffic violation. Deputies called in K-9 Kyra, who alerted to the odor of controlled dangerous substances inside the SUV. As…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Bus Carrying 38 Children Crashes, Sending Nine To Hospital In Virginia Bus Carrying 38 Children Crashes, Sending Nine To Hospital In Virginia Bus Carrying 38 Children Crashes, Sending Nine To Hospital In Virginia
Bus Carrying 38 Children Crashes, Sending Nine To Hospital In Virginia A summer outing took an unexpected turn in Virginia when a bus carrying dozens of children crashed on Wednesday morning. The collision happened shortly before 10 a.m. on July 15 at the intersection of John Marshall Highway and Zulla Road in Fauquier County, where firefighters and paramedics responded to a reported crash involving a school bus. When crews arrived, they found the bus was transporting 38 children from Fauquier Community Child Care to a scheduled daily activity, according to Fauquier County Fire Rescue officials. Eight children and one adult were taken to Fauquier Hospital by …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Glen Burnie, MD
On Your Side
Maryland Wax Salon Owner Locked Out As Entire Business Sits Inside Unsafe Glen Burnie Tower Maryland Wax Salon Owner Locked Out As Entire Business Sits Inside Unsafe Glen Burnie Tower Maryland Wax Salon Owner Locked Out As Entire Business Sits Inside Unsafe Glen Burnie Tower
Maryland Wax Salon Owner Locked Out As Entire Business Sits Inside Unsafe Glen Burnie Tower Shelby Benard didn't just lose access to her workplace. She lost access to her livelihood. The Maryland small business owner has spent the past week unable to enter her wax salon after Anne Arundel County declared the 10-story Empire Towers office building in Glen Burnie unsafe following a structural emergency that forced the evacuation of roughly 100 people. Now, with every piece of equipment, supply, chair, and decoration still trapped inside, Benard says she's scrambling to rebuild from scratch while trying to keep her business alive. "My income depends entirely on being able to serve …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Milford Mill, MD
Breaking News
7-Year-Old Girl Killed In Accidental Milford Mill Shooting Identified By Police 7-Year-Old Girl Killed In Accidental Milford Mill Shooting Identified By Police 7-Year-Old Girl Killed In Accidental Milford Mill Shooting Identified By Police
7-Year-Old Girl Killed In Accidental Milford Mill Shooting Identified By Police Maryland investigators have identified the young girl who died after an accidental shooting inside a Baltimore County home as homicide detectives continue working to piece together exactly what happened. Baltimore County police were called around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, to the 7800 block of Selgrave Road in Milford Mill for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found Alayah Terrell, 7, suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. Police identified Alayah on Wednesday as detectives with the department's Homicide Unit c…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Odenton, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Teen Preparing For College After Losing Father Begins Rebuilding After Family Tragedy Maryland Teen Preparing For College After Losing Father Begins Rebuilding After Family Tragedy Maryland Teen Preparing For College After Losing Father Begins Rebuilding After Family Tragedy
Maryland Teen Preparing For College After Losing Father Begins Rebuilding After Family Tragedy Harley Jones should have spent this summer getting ready for college.  Instead, the Maryland high school graduate is rebuilding her life with help from friends, teammates, and strangers after loved ones say she survived an alleged attempt on her life by her own mother. Jones, 18, graduated in June and is preparing to begin classes at Salisbury University this fall.  Harley Jones GoFundMe But those plans were upended on the morning of June 29, when she escaped an alleged attack, called 911, and survived, according to a fundraiser launched on her behalf. Orga…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Murder Mystery Ends With Two Arrested One Year Later In Baltimore: Police Maryland Murder Mystery Ends With Two Arrested One Year Later In Baltimore: Police Maryland Murder Mystery Ends With Two Arrested One Year Later In Baltimore: Police
Maryland Murder Mystery Ends With Two Arrested One Year Later In Baltimore: Police A Maryland homicide investigation that stretched more than a year has ended with two murder arrests in Baltimore. Kahree Fowlkes, 23, and Kamal Godwin, 22, were taken into custody and charged in connection with the July 2025 murder of Sir Bryant Alston, according to the Baltimore Police Department on Wednesday, July 15. The case dates back to shortly before 1 a.m. on June 30, 2025, when officers responded to the 1100 block of East Preston Street for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found Alston suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he fou…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Greenbelt, MD
Breaking News
Man Who Died After Becoming Unresponsive In Greenbelt Police Custody Identified (UPDATED) Man Who Died After Becoming Unresponsive In Greenbelt Police Custody Identified (UPDATED) Man Who Died After Becoming Unresponsive In Greenbelt Police Custody Identified (UPDATED)
Man Who Died After Becoming Unresponsive In Greenbelt Police Custody Identified (Updated) For two weeks, he was known only as the driver who became unresponsive while handcuffed after a crash. Now, Maryland investigators have put a name to the case. Michael MacDougall, 40, of Frederick, was identified Wednesday, July 15, by the Maryland Attorney General's Office as the man who died after a late-night crash in Greenbelt that led to an independent investigation. The Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division also identified the involved Greenbelt Police officer as Tyler Fahey, a four-year veteran assigned to the Patrol Division. The incident unfolded around 10 p.m. on…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Adelphi-Langley Park, MD
Breaking News
Three Killed In Multi-Vehicle PG County Crash Involving Motorcycle Overnight: Police Three Killed In Multi-Vehicle PG County Crash Involving Motorcycle Overnight: Police Three Killed In Multi-Vehicle PG County Crash Involving Motorcycle Overnight: Police
Three Killed In Multi-Vehicle PG County Crash Involving Motorcycle Overnight: Police Three people lost their lives in a single crash. A Maryland motorcyclist and two people in another vehicle were killed late Tuesday night in a three-vehicle crash that shut down a major Prince George's County roadway for hours. The incident was reported around 11:25 p.m. on July 14 at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Metzerott Road in Adelphi. Prince George's County police said the collision involved a motorcycle and two other vehicles. Police said the motorcyclist and two people in a second vehicle were all pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Flames Burst Through Roof Of Gaithersburg Home As 55 Firefighters Rush In WATCH: Flames Burst Through Roof Of Gaithersburg Home As 55 Firefighters Rush In WATCH: Flames Burst Through Roof Of Gaithersburg Home As 55 Firefighters Rush In
Watch: Flames Burst Through Roof Of Gaithersburg Home As 55 Firefighters Rush In Flames ripped through a single-family home in Maryland on Tuesday evening, bursting through the roof and swallowing much of the front of the house before dozens of firefighters finally got the upper hand. More than 55 Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service firefighters were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. to the 18700 block of Calypso Place in Gaithersburg after neighbors spotted the blaze and called 911. By the time crews arrived, the home was already fully involved. Thick black smoke towered above the neighborhood as flames shot through the roofline and poured from the front of the house, …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
La Plata, MD
Breaking News
La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (PHOTOS) La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (PHOTOS) La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (PHOTOS)
La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (Photos) A fire sparked by lithium-ion batteries tore through part of a commercial building in Maryland on Monday night before firefighters knocked it down in minutes, preventing what could have been a much larger disaster. Volunteer firefighters were dispatched shortly after 9 p.m. on July 13, to the 4000 block of Ray Drive in La Plata after flames were reported shooting from the roof of a commercial building, according to the Charles County Volunteer Fire & EMS Department. Crews arrived to find fire burning in the rear of the building and immediately launched an aggressive interior attack as a…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 149 of 3974 147 148 149 150 151 Next
1,481 - 1,490 of 39,740 articles