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

Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Buyer Tried Returning A Defective Phone, Then Woodbridge Seller Attacked, Police Say Virginia Buyer Tried Returning A Defective Phone, Then Woodbridge Seller Attacked, Police Say Virginia Buyer Tried Returning A Defective Phone, Then Woodbridge Seller Attacked, Police Say
Virginia Buyer Tried Returning A Defective Phone, Then Woodbridge Seller Attacked, Police Say A busted cell phone apparently came with an even worse return policy in Virginia. A 22-year-old man who arranged to return a defective phone he bought through social media was allegedly attacked by the seller, who took the device back and left, according to Prince William County Police. The deal began innocently enough. Police said the victim had arranged online to buy a cell phone from a man later identified as 22-year-old Woodbridge resident Derek Matthew Powlowsky. There was just one problem: the phone didn't work. The two agreed to meet again in the 17000 block of Richmond Highway in…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Shooter At Large After Woman Found Dead In Aldie Neighborhood (DEVELOPING) Shooter At Large After Woman Found Dead In Aldie Neighborhood (DEVELOPING) Shooter At Large After Woman Found Dead In Aldie Neighborhood (DEVELOPING)
Shooter At Large After Woman Found Dead In Aldie Neighborhood (Developing) A shooter is at large after a woman was found shot to death in a quiet Virginia neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, officials say. Deputies from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office were called shortly after noon on Sept. 22 to the 240000 block of Quimby Oak Place in Aldie to investigate reports of a shooting in the area. Upon arrival, first responders found a woman suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say they have identified a suspect and were actively working to locate him later on Tuesday afternoon. The incident is also believed t…

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by Zak Failla
Hyattsville, MD
Breaking News
1,500 ATM Withdrawals Fueled Hyattsville Man's $1M Senior Scam, Luxury Spending Spree: Feds 1,500 ATM Withdrawals Fueled Hyattsville Man's $1M Senior Scam, Luxury Spending Spree: Feds 1,500 ATM Withdrawals Fueled Hyattsville Man's $1M Senior Scam, Luxury Spending Spree: Feds
1,500 ATM Withdrawals Fueled Hyattsville Man's $1M Senior Scam, Luxury Spending Spree: Feds A Maryland man allegedly found a way to turn other people's bank accounts into his own personal ATM. Roy Dave Davis, 34, of Hyattsville, was arrested on Monday, Sept. 21, following a years-long scheme that federal prosecutors say cost more than 40 victims over $1 million, federal authorities say. Many were seniors. Their average age was 81. The alleged operation started with personal information belonging to customers of a financial institution, according to court documents. Rather than trying to get his hands on cards already in their wallets, prosecutors say Davis redirected the victims…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Inmate Found With Stab Wounds Dies In Maryland Prison; Homicide Unit Called In: State Police Inmate Found With Stab Wounds Dies In Maryland Prison; Homicide Unit Called In: State Police Inmate Found With Stab Wounds Dies In Maryland Prison; Homicide Unit Called In: State Police
Inmate Found With Stab Wounds Dies In Maryland Prison; Homicide Unit Called In: State Police An inmate was found stabbed inside a Maryland prison late Monday night. The man was found suffering from apparent stab wounds inside his housing unit at the Maryland Correctional and Training Center in Hagerstown on Monday, according to Maryland State Police. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the prison. His name has not been released as authorities work to notify his family. At around 10 p.m. on Sept. 21, the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was called in by investigators at the facility to probe a reported inmate death. State Police investigators responded alongside…

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by Zak Failla
Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD
Breaking News
Wheelchair User Killed In Camp Springs Hit-Run ID'd By Police As 67-Year-Old Temple Hills Man Wheelchair User Killed In Camp Springs Hit-Run ID'd By Police As 67-Year-Old Temple Hills Man Wheelchair User Killed In Camp Springs Hit-Run ID'd By Police As 67-Year-Old Temple Hills Man
Wheelchair User Killed In Camp Springs Hit-Run ID'd By Police As 67-Year-Old Temple Hills Man New details have been released after a 67-year-old man using a wheelchair was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Maryland. Temple Hills resident James Evan Moore, Jr. has been identified by the Prince George's County Police Department as the person who was killed early on Saturday morning in Camp Springs by a driver who remains at large. Investigators say Moore was crossing Allentown Road around 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 19 in the 6300 block of Allentown Road when he was struck. Moore was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives believe the vehicle that struck him was a dark blue or b…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Obituaries
Mother Of 5 Mistaken For Deer By Maryland Hunter To Be Laid To Rest In Guatemala Mother Of 5 Mistaken For Deer By Maryland Hunter To Be Laid To Rest In Guatemala Mother Of 5 Mistaken For Deer By Maryland Hunter To Be Laid To Rest In Guatemala
Mother Of 5 Mistaken For Deer By Maryland Hunter To Be Laid To Rest In Guatemala A mother of five is being mourned after a Maryland hunter allegedly mistook her for a deer and shot her as she walked through a field with a man and two children. Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, of Georgetown, Delaware, died after the shooting shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, in a field near South Old State Road in Ellendale, Delaware State Police said. Days later, the shock of how Soto died is giving way to grief over who was lost. Her family described Soto as a beloved aunt whose sudden death has left relatives struggling to arrange her funeral, bring her body home to Guat…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Fredericksburg Man's Courthouse Outburst Didn't End When Stafford Deputies Put Him In Cruiser Fredericksburg Man's Courthouse Outburst Didn't End When Stafford Deputies Put Him In Cruiser Fredericksburg Man's Courthouse Outburst Didn't End When Stafford Deputies Put Him In Cruiser
Fredericksburg Man's Courthouse Outburst Didn't End When Stafford Deputies Put Him In Cruiser A Virginia man’s courthouse outburst only got him into more trouble when he allegedly fought his arrest and then turned his attention to the police cruiser, authorities said. Christopher Beckner Jr., 29, of Fredericksburg, was arrested on Monday, Sept. 21, following a disturbance at the Stafford County Courthouse, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy was called to the courthouse on Courthouse Road shortly after 2:30 p.m., where Beckner was allegedly yelling obscenities inside the building and refusing to follow police directions. Deputies moved to take Beckner into c…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
PG County Shooting Suspect Found Dead In SUV After Standoff At Shopping Center PG County Shooting Suspect Found Dead In SUV After Standoff At Shopping Center PG County Shooting Suspect Found Dead In SUV After Standoff At Shopping Center
PG County Shooting Suspect Found Dead In SUV After Standoff At Shopping Center A Maryland shooting suspect was found dead inside an SUV Tuesday morning after refusing to come out during a police standoff at a Prince George’s County shopping center. Officers received a call from a woman on Tuesday morning who advised the Prince George's County Police Department that she had been shot by her boyfriend, who then fled, according to Deputy Chief James Keleti. The call came in around 7:15 a.m. on Sept. 22 from the 5300 block of Fisher Road, and the victim was able to give a description of his vehicle. While en route to investigate the initial shooting, Keleti said officers…

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Your Community
From Farmers Market To Forever Home: Virginia Chocolatier Opens Downtown Shop In Leesburg From Farmers Market To Forever Home: Virginia Chocolatier Opens Downtown Shop In Leesburg From Farmers Market To Forever Home: Virginia Chocolatier Opens Downtown Shop In Leesburg
From Farmers Market To Forever Home: Virginia Chocolatier Opens Downtown Shop In Leesburg No more packing up when the season ends for one Virginia chocolatier who spent years waiting for a kitchen to call her own. The Chocolate Palette has officially opened its permanent home at 212A Loudoun St. SE in downtown Leesburg, where owner Cheryl June is serving up European-style sipping chocolates, handcrafted desserts and the Danish pancakes that helped launch her business eight years ago. The town celebrated the opening with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Sept. 17. For June, getting there took a much longer route. A military wife and mother, June developed her love of baking while l…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Your Community
Virginia Congressman Wants FAA To Ground New AI System Around DC Airports: 'Guinea Pigs' Virginia Congressman Wants FAA To Ground New AI System Around DC Airports: 'Guinea Pigs' Virginia Congressman Wants FAA To Ground New AI System Around DC Airports: 'Guinea Pigs'
Virginia Congressman Wants FAA To Ground New AI System Around DC Airports: 'Guinea Pigs' A new artificial intelligence system is taking flight over Virginia, and one congressman wants it grounded. Rep. Don Beyer called on the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, Sept. 21, to immediately suspend SMART, a new AI-supported air traffic management system that began limited operations that day in the airspace around Washington, DC. “The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system,” Beyer said. The Northern Virginia Democrat, whose district includes Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, raised the alarm as federal transpo…

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by Zak Failla
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