Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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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

Centreville, VA
On Your Side
After 30 Years Serving Centreville Top Tippy's Taco Mainstays Suddenly Need New Jobs After 30 Years Serving Centreville Top Tippy's Taco Mainstays Suddenly Need New Jobs After 30 Years Serving Centreville Top Tippy's Taco Mainstays Suddenly Need New Jobs
After 30 Years Serving Centreville Top Tippy's Taco Mainstays Suddenly Need New Jobs For more than 30 years, customers walking into Tippy's Taco in Fairfax County were greeted by the same two people. Lilibeth Panlaqui knew their orders before they reached the register. Rizal worked behind the scenes, preparing the food that kept generations of Northern Virginia families coming back. Now, with the longtime Centreville restaurant preparing to close its doors, the couple who became the face of Tippy's Taco are suddenly searching for what's next. According to a GoFundMe launched this week for Lilibeth "Lili" Panlaqui and Rizal, rising rent has forced the restaurant to close i…

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by Zak Failla
Oxon Hill, MD
Breaking News
Protective Order Didn't Stop Oxon Hill Man From Having 5 Guns, Shooting At Car: Sheriff Protective Order Didn't Stop Oxon Hill Man From Having 5 Guns, Shooting At Car: Sheriff Protective Order Didn't Stop Oxon Hill Man From Having 5 Guns, Shooting At Car: Sheriff
Protective Order Didn't Stop Oxon Hill Man From Having 5 Guns, Shooting At Car: Sheriff A 61-year-old man who had his home and storage unit raided by investigators in Southern Maryland is behind bars following a dangerous road rage incident earlier this month, authorities announced. Parren Eric Swann, 61, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a reported road-rage assault on Sunday, May 10, on Brookwood Drive in White Plains involving a woman and her mother. Shortly after 5:15 p.m. that afternoon, a woman turned onto Brookwood Drive from Billingsley Road when she saw a vehicle barreling toward her on the wrong side of the road. The woman honked, according to the Charles C…

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by Zak Failla
Severna Park, MD
Your Community
Severna Park Student Among Maryland's Presidential Scholar Semifinalists Severna Park Student Among Maryland's Presidential Scholar Semifinalists Severna Park Student Among Maryland's Presidential Scholar Semifinalists
Severna Park Student Among Maryland's Presidential Scholar Semifinalists A student from Severna Park. Four from Howard County. Four more from Richard Montgomery alone. Thirteen Maryland public school seniors have been named semifinalists for the 2026 US Presidential Scholars Program, placing them among just 627 students nationwide still in contention for one of the country's highest honors for graduating high school students. The students, representing five Maryland school systems, were selected for achievements in academics, the arts, career and technical education, leadership, and community service. Established in 1964, the program annually recognizes excepti…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Boy With Cerebral Palsy Finally Gets Accessible Van In Alexandria... Sleeps Through First Ride Boy With Cerebral Palsy Finally Gets Accessible Van In Alexandria... Sleeps Through First Ride Boy With Cerebral Palsy Finally Gets Accessible Van In Alexandria... Sleeps Through First Ride
Boy With Cerebral Palsy Finally Gets Accessible Van In Alexandria... Sleeps Through First Ride Weeks after his family shared their hopes of finding an accessible van, the Staron family in Virginia finally got a look at how that vehicle could change their son's life. His review was simple. He was sound asleep. The nonverbal youngster with cerebral palsy, whose story touched readers earlier this year, recently climbed aboard the family's newly arrived 2022 Toyota Sienna for a test drive.  Somewhere along the ride, the boy drifted off. "Alex promptly fell asleep, which we are choosing to take as a very positive review," his parents, Michael and Mariane Staron, wrote. "W…

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
22-Year-Old Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Being Flown From Mechanicsville Crash 22-Year-Old Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Being Flown From Mechanicsville Crash 22-Year-Old Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Being Flown From Mechanicsville Crash
22-Year-Old Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Being Flown From Mechanicsville Crash What started as an evening ride through Southern Maryland ended with a 22-year-old motorcyclist being flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Leo Cianciolo remains in critical condition after a crash on Mechanicsville Road that drew a major emergency response, shut down part of the roadway, and ended with him being rushed away by a state police helicopter, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, first responders were called to investigate a reported crash involving an SUV and a motorcycle. Investigators say an 86-year-ol…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
5 Dead, 34 Hurt In Bus Crash On I-95 In Stafford County 5 Dead, 34 Hurt In Bus Crash On I-95 In Stafford County 5 Dead, 34 Hurt In Bus Crash On I-95 In Stafford County
5 Dead, 34 Hurt In Bus Crash On I-95 In Stafford County Five people were killed, and dozens more were injured early on Friday morning on I-95 in Virginia when a bus plowed into slowed traffic, officials confirmed. The crash was reported around 2:35 a.m. on May 29, near the 146-mile marker of the southbound lanes of the interstate in Stafford, where traffic was slowing for an upcoming work zone, according to Virginia State Police. The bus failed to slow down and instead crashed into six vehicles. The I-95 crash in Virginia. Virginia State Police By sunrise, the aftermath stretched across the interstate and beyond it. Photos release…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims 'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims 'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims
'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims A pregnant woman and her disabled 4-year-old son have allegedly been held inside a windowless room at Dulles International Airport in Virginia for more than a week, according to an emergency federal court filing from the ACLU of Virginia. The lawsuit, filed this week in federal court in Alexandria, claims Anabella Gyasi, a 38-year-old woman from Ghana, and her young son have been detained by US Customs and Border Protection since arriving at Dulles on Monday, May 19. According to the ACLU, Gyasi traveled to the United States with valid tourist visas so her son could receive treatment at Akr…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Red, White, And Bruised: Stafford Officers Rescue Three Bald Eagles Before America’s 250th Red, White, And Bruised: Stafford Officers Rescue Three Bald Eagles Before America’s 250th Red, White, And Bruised: Stafford Officers Rescue Three Bald Eagles Before America’s 250th
Red, White, And Bruised: Stafford Officers Rescue Three Bald Eagles Before America’s 250th Animal Control officers in Virginia have been busy answering one very American emergency this week as the country approaches its 250th birthday. Not one. Not two. But three bald eagles were recently rescued by first responders and are being nursed back to health. The latest rescue happened on Wednesday, May 27, after Stafford County Animal Shelter officials said Animal Control received back-to-back calls involving injured bald eagles found in different parts of the county. One eagle was discovered along Richmond Highway with an injured wing. Deputy Peterson responded to the call, safely s…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Man Pulled From Water During Dramatic Rescue Near Baltimore Inner Harbor (DEVELOPING) Man Pulled From Water During Dramatic Rescue Near Baltimore Inner Harbor (DEVELOPING) Man Pulled From Water During Dramatic Rescue Near Baltimore Inner Harbor (DEVELOPING)
Man Pulled From Water During Dramatic Rescue Near Baltimore Inner Harbor (Developing) A man was pulled from the water in Maryland on Thursday afternoon after rescue crews launched an emergency dive operation near the Inner Harbor. The rescue unfolded shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, along the 700 block of Pratt Street, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department. When crews arrived, they found a man in the water and immediately activated the department’s dive team. Divers entered the harbor and began what Baltimore Fire described as a rapid search. The man was located in the water and removed by rescue crews, according to officials. Paramedics provided me…

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by Zak Failla
Bensalem, PA
Breaking News
Copper Wire Thief Brings GF's 11-Year-Old Daughter To Bensalem Burglary, Police Say Copper Wire Thief Brings GF's 11-Year-Old Daughter To Bensalem Burglary, Police Say Copper Wire Thief Brings GF's 11-Year-Old Daughter To Bensalem Burglary, Police Say
Copper Wire Thief Brings GF's 11-Year-Old Daughter To Bensalem Burglary, Police Say A copper wire thief in Pennsylvania chose a curious cohort to use as his accomplice during a midday burglary at a Bucks County business, police say. James Harkless-Dechellis, 41, enlisted his girlfriend's 11-year-old daughter before the dubious duo were caught red-handed targeting a commercial office building on Wednesday afternoon. Shortly before 12:30 p.m. on May 27, officers from the Bensalem Police Department were called to investigate a reported burglary-in-progress at the business in the 3100 block of Tremont Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found a side glass door that had been shatte…

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by Zak Failla
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