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

Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Emergency Crews Swarm Shannon Airport After Reported Fredericksburg Plane Crash (DEVELOPING) Emergency Crews Swarm Shannon Airport After Reported Fredericksburg Plane Crash (DEVELOPING) Emergency Crews Swarm Shannon Airport After Reported Fredericksburg Plane Crash (DEVELOPING)
Emergency Crews Swarm Shannon Airport After Reported Fredericksburg Plane Crash (Developing) Spotsylvania County authorities are investigating a reported plane crash after emergency crews descended on the area near Shannon Airport late Tuesday morning. The Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office issued an alert just before noon warning of a "large emergency personnel presence" near the airport and urging drivers to use caution. Officials have released few details about what happened. According to WUSA9 and DC News Now, first responders were called to the area near the John Deere dealership in the 11400 block of Tidewater Trail following reports of a small plane crash. Both outlets reported …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Obituaries
Mother Of 4 Elsa Grace Torres Dies Just Days Before Family's Planned Move In Virginia Mother Of 4 Elsa Grace Torres Dies Just Days Before Family's Planned Move In Virginia Mother Of 4 Elsa Grace Torres Dies Just Days Before Family's Planned Move In Virginia
Mother Of 4 Elsa Grace Torres Dies Just Days Before Family's Planned Move In Virginia There was a new beginning waiting for Elsa Grace Torres. Just two days before the 32-year-old mother of four was set to move into a new home with her family, that future disappeared in a tragic crash. Now, the people she leaves behind aren't just mourning how she died. They're remembering how she lived. Torres, of Luray, Virginia, died Friday, July 10. She is survived by her four children, Isaac, Penelope, Phoenix and Indie, along with her partner, Jeff Kline, her mother, seven siblings and a large extended family. A GoFundMe created by her sister, Hannah Evans, says Torres also leaves be…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Rush-Hour Crash Shuts Down Northbound I-95 Lanes In Baltimore (DEVELOPING) Rush-Hour Crash Shuts Down Northbound I-95 Lanes In Baltimore (DEVELOPING) Rush-Hour Crash Shuts Down Northbound I-95 Lanes In Baltimore (DEVELOPING)
Rush-Hour Crash Shuts Down Northbound I-95 Lanes In Baltimore (Developing) Baltimore commuters hit a wall Tuesday morning after a two-vehicle crash shut down most northbound lanes of I-95 just before the Russell Street exit, snarling rush-hour traffic. The crash happened around 6:50 a.m. on northbound I-95 approaching Exit 52 (MD 295/Russell Street). Initially, the Maryland State Highway Administration warned that all northbound lanes were closed as emergency crews rushed to the scene. By about 7:15 a.m., one lane had reopened, but three of the highway's four travel lanes remained blocked, along with the right merge lane, leaving traffic crawling toward downtown …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Love Island USA Has A New Winner, And She's From Virginia Love Island USA Has A New Winner, And She's From Virginia Love Island USA Has A New Winner, And She's From Virginia
Love Island USA Has A New Winner, And She's From Virginia Virginia has a new reality TV champion. Newport News model Trinity Tatum and Bryce Dettloff were crowned the winners of Love Island USA Season 8 during the live finale after earning the most votes from viewers, taking home the show's $100,000 grand prize. Tatum, 25, is the latest Hampton Roads native to find herself in the national spotlight after spending the summer on one of the country's most-watched reality competition series, which pairs contestants in search of romance while America ultimately decides the winning couple. The victory capped a whirlwind run for Tatum, who entered the v…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
'Twitter Fingers' Turn Baltimore Arsonist's 30-Year Sentence Into 50 Years: Prosecutors 'Twitter Fingers' Turn Baltimore Arsonist's 30-Year Sentence Into 50 Years: Prosecutors 'Twitter Fingers' Turn Baltimore Arsonist's 30-Year Sentence Into 50 Years: Prosecutors
'Twitter Fingers' Turn Baltimore Arsonist's 30-Year Sentence Into 50 Years: Prosecutors A Maryland arsonist couldn't stop sending messages from behind bars. It just cost him decades in prison. Baltimore resident John Best was sentenced on Monday, July 13, to an additional 20 years after a jury found him guilty of witness intimidation for threatening the woman set to testify against him in his arson case, the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office announced. The new sentence will be served consecutively to the 30-year prison term Best received earlier this year for first-degree arson, stretching his total time behind bars to 50 years. "This Defendant's 'Twitter fingers' turn…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Convicted MS-13 Associate Sent To ICE Custody After Virginia Murder Sentence Convicted MS-13 Associate Sent To ICE Custody After Virginia Murder Sentence Convicted MS-13 Associate Sent To ICE Custody After Virginia Murder Sentence
Convicted MS-13 Associate Sent To ICE Custody After Virginia Murder Sentence His prison sentence is over. His trip out of the country is just beginning. Virginia officials turned over a convicted murderer and suspected MS-13 associate to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after honoring a federal immigration detainer, the agency announced. Jose Jairo Rivas-Santiago, 32, a Honduran national, was taken into ICE custody on June 15 after completing the portion of his incarceration that made him eligible for release from the Virginia Department of Corrections. According to ICE, Rivas-Santiago was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations agents in Richmond in Apr…

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by Zak Failla
Bel Air, MD
Breaking News
Dog Accidentally Starts Harford House Fire By Turning On Toaster, Killing 3 Pets: Officials Dog Accidentally Starts Harford House Fire By Turning On Toaster, Killing 3 Pets: Officials Dog Accidentally Starts Harford House Fire By Turning On Toaster, Killing 3 Pets: Officials
Dog Accidentally Starts Harford House Fire By Turning On Toaster, Killing 3 Pets: Officials One curious jump changed everything. Harford County investigators say a family dog accidentally started a house fire in Belcamp after hopping onto a kitchen counter and turning on a toaster while no one was home. The fire broke out around 5:33 p.m. on Friday, July 10, at a single-family home in the 4300 block of Foxglove Court, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal. Investigators determined the fire began in the kitchen after Bo, the family's dog, jumped onto the counter and activated the toaster, igniting nearby combustible materials. The unusual chain of events was …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Massive Fire Erupts Aboard USNS Charles L. Gilliland At Port Of Baltimore (DEVELOPING) Massive Fire Erupts Aboard USNS Charles L. Gilliland At Port Of Baltimore (DEVELOPING) Massive Fire Erupts Aboard USNS Charles L. Gilliland At Port Of Baltimore (DEVELOPING)
Massive Fire Erupts Aboard USNS Charles L. Gilliland At Port Of Baltimore (Developing) Smoke could be seen for miles. A massive fire broke out aboard a US military cargo ship at the Port of Baltimore late on Monday, prompting a second-alarm response from firefighters. The blaze was reported shortly after 11 a.m. on July 13 aboard the USNS Charles L. Gilliland, which was docked near the 2000 block of South Clinton Street in Baltimore, according to the fire department. When crews arrived, two lifeboats mounted on the side of the vessel were fully engulfed in flames, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Despite the dramatic scene, no injuries were reported. Firef…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
911 Call Went Silent Before Fair Oaks Wife Was Found Shot Dead, Husband Charged (UPDATED) 911 Call Went Silent Before Fair Oaks Wife Was Found Shot Dead, Husband Charged (UPDATED) 911 Call Went Silent Before Fair Oaks Wife Was Found Shot Dead, Husband Charged (UPDATED)
911 Call Went Silent Before Fair Oaks Wife Was Found Shot Dead, Husband Charged (Updated) She called for help. Then the line went dead. Fairfax County police have charged a 64-year-old man with murder after investigators say he fatally shot his wife inside their Fair Oaks home on Sunday night. Officers responded at 10:21 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, to the 12000 block of Washington Brice Road after a 911 caller could hear sounds "consistent with a disturbance" before the call was disconnected, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.  A second 911 call came in at 10:39 p.m. When officers entered the home, they found Chisen Jameson, 60, of Fair Oaks, suffering from g…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Breaking News
Man Trapped After Massive Tree Crushes Car In Prince George's County Man Trapped After Massive Tree Crushes Car In Prince George's County Man Trapped After Massive Tree Crushes Car In Prince George's County
Man Trapped After Massive Tree Crushes Car In Prince George's County A Maryland man walked away after firefighters rescued him from a car that was crushed by a massive fallen tree Monday afternoon. The rescue happened around 2:57 p.m. on Monday, July 13, in the 3500 block of Enterprise Road in Mitchellville, where Prince George's County Fire/EMS crews found a large tree resting across a vehicle with the driver trapped inside. Firefighters extricated the adult man from the wreckage, according to the department. Despite the extensive damage to the car, the man was evaluated at the scene and refused transportation to a hospital, officials said. No additional …

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by Zak Failla
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