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

Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
MASS SHOOTING: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down MASS SHOOTING: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down
Mass Shooting: 5 Shot Outside Virginia State University Dorms As Campus Locks Down Gunfire shattered the early morning quiet at Virginia State University before dawn Saturday. Five people were shot outside residence halls in the 3300 block of Boisseau Street at around 1:28 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, triggering a lockdown and massive police response as investigators began searching for answers, campus officials confirmed. One victim was critically injured. The other four suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to an update from VSU. All five were taken to area hospitals. What led to the shooting remains unclear. In an early-morning alert, …

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by Zak Failla
Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Breaking News
MURDER: Dumfries Teen Charged In Deadly Virginia Quinceañera Shooting (UPDATED) MURDER: Dumfries Teen Charged In Deadly Virginia Quinceañera Shooting (UPDATED)
Murder: Dumfries Teen Charged In Deadly Virginia Quinceañera Shooting (Updated) Four days after a Virginia quinceañera ended with a 16-year-old boy dead, the teenager accused of killing him now faces a murder charge. The 17-year-old Dumfries teen arrested earlier this week in the shooting death of Samuel Ojeda, of Triangle, was ordered held on a charge of second-degree murder during a detention hearing on Friday, Aug. 14, the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office announced. The charge provides the first clear look at just how prosecutors are treating the deadly encounter that played out during a quinceañera near Catlett on Saturday, Aug. 8. Second-degree murder in Virginia…

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by Zak Failla
Huntingtown, MD
Breaking News
4 First Responders Injured In Huntingtown Ambulance Crash On Route 4: Sheriff (DEVELOPING) 4 First Responders Injured In Huntingtown Ambulance Crash On Route 4: Sheriff (DEVELOPING)
4 First Responders Injured In Huntingtown Ambulance Crash On Route 4: Sheriff (Developing) Getting home was supposed to be the easy part. Instead, four first responders found themselves being treated for a range of injuries after an ambulance crashed while heading back to the station in Calvert County on Friday morning. Shortly after 10 a.m. on Aug. 14, deputies from the sheriff's office were called to the scene of a crash in the northbound lanes of Route 4 in the area of Calverton School Road involving an ambulance from the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department. Two first responders had to be airlifted by a Maryland State Police helicopter, while two others were taken by parame…

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by Zak Failla
Cloverly-Colesville-Fairland, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Teen Shot During High School Fight Sentenced After Gun Was Traced Back To Him Silver Spring Teen Shot During High School Fight Sentenced After Gun Was Traced Back To Him
Silver Spring Teen Shot During High School Fight Sentenced After Gun Was Traced Back To Him Taric Wilson was shot outside a Maryland high school. Then investigators determined the gun was his. Now he's been sentenced. Wilson, now 18, of Silver Spring, was sentenced in Montgomery County Circuit Court to five years in prison with all but 98 days suspended after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm while under the age of 21, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced on Friday, Aug. 14. The sentence closes another chapter in a case that took several turns after gunfire erupted during a fight in the parking lot of Blake High School on April 29. Wilson was 17 at the…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
12 Minutes, 2 Bloody Scenes: Pair Charged With Attempted Murder In St. Mary's County 12 Minutes, 2 Bloody Scenes: Pair Charged With Attempted Murder In St. Mary's County
12 Minutes, 2 Bloody Scenes: Pair Charged With Attempted Murder In St. Mary's County The violence apparently didn't stop after the first victim was left bleeding. Two people are facing attempted murder charges in Maryland after investigators say a man was assaulted during a home invasion Thursday night, Aug. 13, followed minutes later by a stabbing less than a mile away in Lexington Park. Tina Marie Tippett, 37, who has no fixed address, and 35-year-old Lexington Park resident Javone Lawrence Warrick were both arrested following the back-to-back incidents, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. It started around 9:23 p.m. in the 21000 block of Great Mills Roa…

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by Zak Failla
Potomac, MD
Breaking News
Third Beaver Attack In 19 Days Leaves 10-Year-Old Girl Hurt At Seneca Creek State Park Third Beaver Attack In 19 Days Leaves 10-Year-Old Girl Hurt At Seneca Creek State Park
Third Beaver Attack In 19 Days Leaves 10-Year-Old Girl Hurt At Seneca Creek State Park Maryland has another beaver problem on its hands. For the third time in less than three weeks, a beaver attacked someone at a Maryland state park, this time biting a 10-year-old girl who was canoeing at summer camp on Thursday, Aug. 13, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The latest attack was reported at about 3:30 p.m. at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, near a bend in Seneca Creek by Berryville Road and the Potomac River. The girl was canoeing with an organized group when the beaver attacked and bit her, officials said. Then the counselors jumped in. Camp co…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
'Now It's Our Turn': Virginia Sheriff's Sergeant Seriously Injured In Motorcycle Crash 'Now It's Our Turn': Virginia Sheriff's Sergeant Seriously Injured In Motorcycle Crash
'Now It's Our Turn': Virginia Sheriff's Sergeant Seriously Injured In Motorcycle Crash A Virginia lawman who has spent years answering calls for help suddenly needs some of his own. Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Matthew Liebler was hospitalized with major injuries after being hit by another vehicle while riding his motorcycle, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by a coworker. Now his wife, two boys, friends, and fellow law enforcement officers are bracing for what could be a long road back. Liebler remains hospitalized receiving treatment for his injuries and is expected to be out of work for an undetermined amount of time, fundraiser organizer Orie Morgan said. H…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Flat Tire Turns Deadly After Subaru Slams Into Tractor-Trailer On I-95 In Rosedale: MSP Flat Tire Turns Deadly After Subaru Slams Into Tractor-Trailer On I-95 In Rosedale: MSP
Flat Tire Turns Deadly After Subaru Slams Into Tractor-Trailer On I-95 In Rosedale: MSP A flat tire and a split-second collision turned deadly before dawn on a Maryland highway. Francesca Lloyd, 34, of Nottingham, was killed early on Friday, Aug. 14, after the Subaru Outback she was riding in crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on I-95 in Baltimore County, state police confirmed. Her husband may have been behind the wheel. Gregory Lloyd, 41, also of Nottingham, was driving the Subaru and was taken to an area hospital for treatment following the crash, according to police, who said investigators believe the two were married. It happened shortly before 3 a.m. on the nor…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
Cancer Fight Takes Cruel Turn After Tree Crashes Through Virginia Woman's Home Cancer Fight Takes Cruel Turn After Tree Crashes Through Virginia Woman's Home
Cancer Fight Takes Cruel Turn After Tree Crashes Through Virginia Woman's Home Vikki Plumb was already in the fight of her life when Mother Nature dealt another brutal blow. After battling cancer for years, which reached Stage 4, the Virginia woman is now picking up the pieces after a tree came crashing through her home and totaled both her vehicles during the recent round of thunderstorms that rocked the region. The incident happened on Monday, Aug. 10, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by her family. The photos tell part of the story. A massive tree can be seen sprawled across the property, its heavy limbs crushing vehicles parked outside the home. For Pl…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Former Soccer Coach Sexually Abused Boys As Young As 10: Baltimore County Police Former Soccer Coach Sexually Abused Boys As Young As 10: Baltimore County Police
Former Soccer Coach Sexually Abused Boys As Young As 10: Baltimore County Police A former soccer coach in Maryland who worked with multiple private organizations in the region has been locked up. Roberto Carlos Huezo Garcia, 30, is in police custody following a lengthy investigation into the sexual abuse and solicitation of a child, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. In January, detectives began receiving reports of alleged misconduct involving Huezo Garcia and young boys between the ages of 10 and 15. Following what was described as "an extensive investigation," detectives issued a warrant for Huezo Garcia's arrest last month. He was …

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by Zak Failla
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