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
Shot, Paralyzed, Run Over: Virginia Woman Dies After Dispute Over Video Game Console In Spotsy Shot, Paralyzed, Run Over: Virginia Woman Dies After Dispute Over Video Game Console In Spotsy Shot, Paralyzed, Run Over: Virginia Woman Dies After Dispute Over Video Game Console In Spotsy
Shot, Paralyzed, Run Over: Virginia Woman Dies After Dispute Over Video Game Console In Spotsy What started as an argument over a video game console ended with a Virginia woman being shot in the neck, paralyzed, and dead. Now, the man responsible is headed to prison for decades. Joseph Alfonza Jackson, 43, has been sentenced to an active 45 years behind bars for aggravated malicious wounding and related offenses stemming from a violent shooting at a Spotsylvania County home. According to prosecutors, Jackson shot the woman during an argument in 2025, leaving her paralyzed. She later died after undergoing multiple surgeries. The case drew widespread attention when investigators reve…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
ICE Blames Arlington Sanctuary Policies After Man Accused In Garage Sex Assault Is Jailed Again ICE Blames Arlington Sanctuary Policies After Man Accused In Garage Sex Assault Is Jailed Again ICE Blames Arlington Sanctuary Policies After Man Accused In Garage Sex Assault Is Jailed Again
ICE Blames Arlington Sanctuary Policies After Man Accused In Garage Sex Assault Is Jailed Again A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the stairwell of a Virginia parking garage was previously the subject of an ICE detainer, but was released back into the community because of local sanctuary policies, federal immigration officials claim. Cristobal Liobardo Vasquez-Sanchez, a criminal illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is currently being held in Arlington after his arrest in connection with the May assault, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Investigators say that shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, officers were dispatched to the 5500 bloc…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Airy-Woodbine, MD
Breaking News
'Morally Bankrupt' Conman Gets Max Sentence After Swindling Mt. Airy Business: Judge 'Morally Bankrupt' Conman Gets Max Sentence After Swindling Mt. Airy Business: Judge 'Morally Bankrupt' Conman Gets Max Sentence After Swindling Mt. Airy Business: Judge
'Morally Bankrupt' Conman Gets Max Sentence After Swindling Mt. Airy Business: Judge A Maryland conman whom a judge called "morally bankrupt" received the maximum sentence for a six-figure scheme in Carroll County. Jason Eugene Pickett, 39, formerly of Iowa, has an "extensive criminal history" and went on a gambling spree before trial, choosing to buy a Harley-Davidson instead of paying back his victims, prosecutors said. Now, he's heading to prison. Pickett was sentenced to 20 years in prison after prosecutors described him as a "conman and liar" and urged the court to "protect the public from his cons." What began as a Facebook Marketplace transaction spiraled into a si…

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by Zak Failla
Davidsonville, MD
Breaking News
Child Sex Abuse Images Found In Gmail Account Lead To Davidsonville Man's Conviction Child Sex Abuse Images Found In Gmail Account Lead To Davidsonville Man's Conviction Child Sex Abuse Images Found In Gmail Account Lead To Davidsonville Man's Conviction
Child Sex Abuse Images Found In Gmail Account Lead To Davidsonville Man's Conviction A Maryland man who prosecutors say stored child sexual abuse images and videos in a Gmail account is heading back to jail after a jury convicted him on multiple charges. Christopher Willard Clendenin, 38, of Davidsonville, was convicted this week of seven counts of possession of child pornography following a trial in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Moments after the verdict, Judge Sidney Butcher revoked Clendenin's bond and ordered him held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center until his sentencing hearing in July. The investigation began more than three years ago. On April 26, 2023, d…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Teen Who Brought Fully Automatic, Stolen Glock Into DC Charter School Heads To Prison: Feds Teen Who Brought Fully Automatic, Stolen Glock Into DC Charter School Heads To Prison: Feds Teen Who Brought Fully Automatic, Stolen Glock Into DC Charter School Heads To Prison: Feds
Teen Who Brought Fully Automatic, Stolen Glock Into DC Charter School Heads To Prison: Feds A 20-year-old man who brought a fully automatic weapon into a Northwest DC charter school will spend more than a year in prison, federal prosecutors announced on Friday. James Adrian Brewer, who was 19 at the time, pleaded guilty in US District Court in February to unlawful possession of a machine gun, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. On May 29, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison. The weapon was inside the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter School in Northwest on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2025, when a school administrator spotted what appeared to be a firea…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Gunman Who Killed Waldorf Teen In Targeted Attack Outside Home Busted; Second Wanted: Police Gunman Who Killed Waldorf Teen In Targeted Attack Outside Home Busted; Second Wanted: Police Gunman Who Killed Waldorf Teen In Targeted Attack Outside Home Busted; Second Wanted: Police
Gunman Who Killed Waldorf Teen In Targeted Attack Outside Home Busted; Second Wanted: Police A 20-year-old man who gunned down a teen outside a Maryland home earlier this year has been apprehended following a months-long investigation. Ronald Andre Carter, Jr., who police say has no fixed address, has been arrested for his alleged role in the deadly shooting of Waldorf resident Ky-Mari Bowman, 19, in Capitol Heights. Officers from the Prince George's County Police Department were called around 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to the 500 block of Abel Avenue, where there were reports of a shooting with one victim down. Upon arrival, they found Bowman outside suffering from multiple …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
11-Year-Old Shot In Maryland Ambush As Gunmen Open Fire Near Playground: Video 11-Year-Old Shot In Maryland Ambush As Gunmen Open Fire Near Playground: Video 11-Year-Old Shot In Maryland Ambush As Gunmen Open Fire Near Playground: Video
11-Year-Old Shot In Maryland Ambush As Gunmen Open Fire Near Playground: Video New video has been released by investigators in Maryland after an 11-year-old boy and a man were shot during an ambush in Baltimore. The Baltimore Police Department released footage of a shooting that took place around 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Dolphin Street. Commissioner Worley and PIO are on scene of a double shooting at the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. & Dolphin St. Multiple streets in the area are closed, and buses have been rerouted.The media staging area will be located at the intersection of Dolphin St. & Argyle …

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Two Kids Among Five Killed In I-95 Stafford Bus Crash That Injured 44: State Police (UPDATED) Two Kids Among Five Killed In I-95 Stafford Bus Crash That Injured 44: State Police (UPDATED) Two Kids Among Five Killed In I-95 Stafford Bus Crash That Injured 44: State Police (UPDATED)
Two Kids Among Five Killed In I-95 Stafford Bus Crash That Injured 44: State Police (Updated) New details have been released by Virginia State Police investigators after two children were among five Massachusetts residents killed in a violent crash on I-95 in Stafford County on Friday morning. 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 heading from New York City to Charlotte, struck a Chevrolet Suburban, forcing it into an Acura SUV and at least four other vehicles. The I-95 crash in Virginia. Virginia …

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by Zak Failla
Oxon Hill, MD
Breaking News
Duo From DC Accused Of Killing Oxon Hill Man 'Always Ready With A Joke' During Dispute: Police Duo From DC Accused Of Killing Oxon Hill Man 'Always Ready With A Joke' During Dispute: Police Duo From DC Accused Of Killing Oxon Hill Man 'Always Ready With A Joke' During Dispute: Police
Duo From DC Accused Of Killing Oxon Hill Man 'Always Ready With A Joke' During Dispute: Police Ricardo Lee Vance was "always ready with a joke," who "meant so much to so many" before he was gunned down in Maryland. Now, two District residents have been apprehended in connection with his cold-blooded murder. Orlando Edwards, 20, and India Stroman, 21, have both been apprehended for their alleged roles in the deadly shooting of the 47-year-old Oxon Hill man whose family remembered him as "a loving son, brother, uncle, and cousin."  Ricardo Lee Vance GoFundMe At around 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 3, officers from the Prince George's County Police Department were called to the 6100 b…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Brush Fire Sparks Probe Into Possible Violations After Abandoned Maryland Home Burns Brush Fire Sparks Probe Into Possible Violations After Abandoned Maryland Home Burns Brush Fire Sparks Probe Into Possible Violations After Abandoned Maryland Home Burns
Brush Fire Sparks Probe Into Possible Violations After Abandoned Maryland Home Burns A brush fire being burned near an abandoned home on the Eastern Shore quickly spread out of control, causing chaos for dozens of firefighters, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Shortly after 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, crews from the Allen Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding agencies were called to the 4100 block of South Upper Ferry Road in Eden when a brush pile went up in flames on a nearby property. Investigators said the owner and workers were burning a large brush pile near an abandoned single-family home when the fire accidentally spread to the structure. By the ti…

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by Zak Failla
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