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

Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Puff, Puff, Prison? DC Man Pleads Guilty After Marijuana Stop Revealed Loaded Gun: Feds Puff, Puff, Prison? DC Man Pleads Guilty After Marijuana Stop Revealed Loaded Gun: Feds Puff, Puff, Prison? DC Man Pleads Guilty After Marijuana Stop Revealed Loaded Gun: Feds
Puff, Puff, Prison? DC Man Pleads Guilty After Marijuana Stop Revealed Loaded Gun: Feds A little bit of weed might go a long way to sending a DC felon back to prison on new federal gun charges. Daveion Antonio Ervin, 28, pleaded guilty on Monday, June 1 in US District court to illegally possessing a loaded gun after he puffed, but forgot to pass, right in front of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. Shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, US Park Police officers were on patrol when they spotted Ervin smoking what court documents described as a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette. Officers were driving west when they spotted Ervin holding a hand-rolled cigarette…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Before The Ravens, There Was Raymond Berry: Baltimore Football Icon Dies At 93 Before The Ravens, There Was Raymond Berry: Baltimore Football Icon Dies At 93 Before The Ravens, There Was Raymond Berry: Baltimore Football Icon Dies At 93
Before The Ravens, There Was Raymond Berry: Baltimore Football Icon Dies At 93 One of the men who helped make Baltimore a football city is gone. Raymond Berry, the Hall of Fame wide receiver whose partnership with Johnny Unitas helped build the Baltimore Colts into champions and turned Memorial Stadium into the center of the football world, died May 25 at his home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He was 93.  Officials made the announcement on Monday. For generations of football fans in the DMV region, Berry represented something bigger than statistics. Long before the Ravens arrived. Before Ray Lewis. Before Lamar Jackson. There was Berry. A Baltimore Colt through an…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
On Your Side
Before Smoke Cleared, Neighbors Raised $20K For Workers After Virginia Restaurant Fire Before Smoke Cleared, Neighbors Raised $20K For Workers After Virginia Restaurant Fire Before Smoke Cleared, Neighbors Raised $20K For Workers After Virginia Restaurant Fire
Before Smoke Cleared, Neighbors Raised $20K For Workers After Virginia Restaurant Fire A devastating fire tore through Zandra's Taqueria in downtown Culpeper early Saturday morning, destroying the popular restaurant, damaging neighboring businesses, and leaving 20 employees suddenly without a workplace. Less than 24 hours later, the community had raised more than $20,000 to help them get through it. The money was raised through a GoFundMe campaign launched by owner Miguel Pires after the fire tore through the building in the 300 block of East Davis Street on Saturday, May 30, forcing the eatery to shut down for the foreseeable future. According to Pires, the goal is to cover…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Bus Driver Who Caused I-95 Crash That Killed Five, Injured Dozens Charged In Stafford (UPDATED) Bus Driver Who Caused I-95 Crash That Killed Five, Injured Dozens Charged In Stafford (UPDATED) Bus Driver Who Caused I-95 Crash That Killed Five, Injured Dozens Charged In Stafford (UPDATED)
Bus Driver Who Caused I-95 Crash That Killed Five, Injured Dozens Charged In Stafford (Updated) The New York bus driver who caused a massive I-95 pile-up crash that claimed the lives of five Massachusetts residents in Virginia has been indicted, authorities confirmed on Monday. Staten Island native Jing Sheng Dong, 48, has been charged with multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving following the fatal crash in Stafford County over the weekend. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. on May 29, troopers were called to the southbound lanes of I-95 in Stafford, where a bus plowed into traffic that was slowing for an upcoming work zone. The bus, operated by E&P Travel and head…

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by Zak Failla
Temple Hills-Camp Springs, MD
On Your Side
Nitro On Tap, Donuts In The Case: Dunkin' Opens Massive New Temple Hills Location Nitro On Tap, Donuts In The Case: Dunkin' Opens Massive New Temple Hills Location Nitro On Tap, Donuts In The Case: Dunkin' Opens Massive New Temple Hills Location
Nitro On Tap, Donuts In The Case: Dunkin' Opens Massive New Temple Hills Location Coffee runs just got a little easier in Temple Hills. Dunkin' officially opened its newest Maryland location on Monday, June 1, at 4305 Saint Barnabas Road, bringing the chain's "Next Generation" restaurant concept to Prince George's County. The new shop marks Dunkin's 190th location, operated by franchisees Konse Skrivanos and Angelo Moutoudis of the Dekk Group, and it's loaded with some upgrades beyond the usual coffee-and-donut routine. Among the biggest draws? Nitro-infused cold brew poured from a tap system, a front-facing bakery case packed with donuts, and a dedicated mobile pickup …

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
He Came Back: Alleged Kidnapper Returned To Victim's Boyfriend's Home In Cecil County: Sheriff He Came Back: Alleged Kidnapper Returned To Victim's Boyfriend's Home In Cecil County: Sheriff He Came Back: Alleged Kidnapper Returned To Victim's Boyfriend's Home In Cecil County: Sheriff
He Came Back: Alleged Kidnapper Returned To Victim's Boyfriend's Home In Cecil County: Sheriff A Maryland man accused of collecting a drug debt, kidnapping a woman, threatening to kill her if police were called, and spending the day driving around with her allegedly made one mistake that brought everything crashing down. He came back. Authorities say Tyree Shauntel Jordan, 40, returned to a home in Cecil County nearly 10 hours after allegedly forcing a woman to leave with him, only to find deputies closing in and a BearCat rescue vehicle eventually pinning his minivan against the residence. According to the Cecil County Sheriff's Office, the wild chain of events began around 10 a.m.…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Days After Career Milestone, Maryland Paramedic Fighting To Walk Again After Motorcycle Crash Days After Career Milestone, Maryland Paramedic Fighting To Walk Again After Motorcycle Crash Days After Career Milestone, Maryland Paramedic Fighting To Walk Again After Motorcycle Crash
Days After Career Milestone, Maryland Paramedic Fighting To Walk Again After Motorcycle Crash Just days after coworkers celebrated a major career milestone, firefighter-paramedic Justin Hogue found himself fighting through physical therapy at Baltimore's Shock Trauma after a devastating motorcycle crash. The Maryland first responder was airlifted to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center by a Maryland State Police helicopter on Thursday, May 28, after a deer ran in front of his motorcycle, according to Hogue and organizers of a fundraiser launched to support his recovery. By Saturday, Hogue was posting updates from his hospital bed. "I haven't been able to walk up to this point," h…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Firefighters Cut Apart Trail Bridge To Free Horse Trapped In Patuxent River State Park (PHOTOS) Firefighters Cut Apart Trail Bridge To Free Horse Trapped In Patuxent River State Park (PHOTOS) Firefighters Cut Apart Trail Bridge To Free Horse Trapped In Patuxent River State Park (PHOTOS)
Firefighters Cut Apart Trail Bridge To Free Horse Trapped In Patuxent River State Park (Photos) Firefighters in Maryland headed into Patuxent River State Park on Sunday afternoon looking for an injured person on a trail. What they found instead was a horse in far worse shape. Crews were dispatched at approximately 1:40 p.m. on May 31, to the park in Brookville for a reported injured person, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson David Pazos. While searching the trail system by UTV, firefighters came across a horse whose leg had fallen through a wooden pedestrian bridge along the Red Trail. The animal was unable to stand. What started as a routine medica…

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by Zak Failla
Perryville-Port Deposit, MD
Obituaries
'She Lost Her Father, Best Friend': Community Mourns Ricky Hickman After Cecil County Crash 'She Lost Her Father, Best Friend': Community Mourns Ricky Hickman After Cecil County Crash 'She Lost Her Father, Best Friend': Community Mourns Ricky Hickman After Cecil County Crash
'She Lost Her Father, Best Friend': Community Mourns Ricky Hickman After Cecil County Crash The photos tell the story before the words ever do. At the beach. At school events. Dressed up for special occasions. Nearly every image shared since Richard "Ricky" Hickman III's death shows him alongside his daughter, Kimber. Now, after the 38-year-old Port Deposit father was killed in a motorcycle crash late Thursday night, family and friends are mourning a man they describe as a doting dad, loyal friend, and larger-than-life presence whose world revolved around his little girl. The crash was reported around 11 p.m. on May 29 on Camp Meeting Ground Road near Port Deposit, according to a…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Breaking News
After 24-Hour Shift Serving Prince George's County, Firefighter Demair Lloyd Dies At 44 After 24-Hour Shift Serving Prince George's County, Firefighter Demair Lloyd Dies At 44 After 24-Hour Shift Serving Prince George's County, Firefighter Demair Lloyd Dies At 44
After 24-Hour Shift Serving Prince George's County, Firefighter Demair Lloyd Dies At 44 For nearly 20 years, Demair Lloyd answered the call. Then, after finishing a routine 24-hour shift serving Prince George's County, the veteran firefighter-paramedic went home and suffered a medical emergency. He never made it back to the firehouse. Lloyd, 44, died after completing his shift, according to the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, which announced the loss of the longtime firefighter over the weekend. A member of the department since 2006, Lloyd spent his career serving out of Station 841 in Calverton, where colleagues remembered him not only as a firefighter and param…

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by Zak Failla
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