Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Towson, MD
Breaking News
Former Baltimore Daycare Worker Accused Of Producing Child Sex Abuse Images: Feds Former Baltimore Daycare Worker Accused Of Producing Child Sex Abuse Images: Feds Former Baltimore Daycare Worker Accused Of Producing Child Sex Abuse Images: Feds
Former Baltimore Daycare Worker Accused Of Producing Child Sex Abuse Images: Feds A former Maryland daycare worker is facing child sexual exploitation charges after investigators say she produced explicit images involving a young child while working as a substitute employee. Baltimore native Simone Unadrea Avery, 23, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sexually exploiting a child and possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities announced on Thursday. Prosecutors say Avery worked at a daycare center as a substitute when the alleged abuse happened in 2024. According to the indictment, Avery produced two image files on April 23, 2024, depicting a prep…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Breaking News
Overturned Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down Stretch Of I-95 In Laurel (UPDATED) Overturned Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down Stretch Of I-95 In Laurel (UPDATED) Overturned Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down Stretch Of I-95 In Laurel (UPDATED)
Overturned Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down Stretch Of I-95 In Laurel (Updated) A massive police response brought traffic to a crawl along one of Maryland’s busiest highway corridors Thursday afternoon, shutting down lanes on I-95 and MD-198. All northbound lanes of the interstate were shut down shortly before noon on Thursday, May 21, in Laurel, according to officials. Traffic on I-95 in Maryland. Maryland DOT The westbound ramp from MD-198 to I-95 northbound was also shut down as emergency crews flooded the area. I-95 NB LL at MD-198. Prince George's County, MD. All lanes are blocked on the I-95 NB local lanes additionally, the MD-198 WB ramp to I-95 NB i…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
US-Bound Travelers From Ebola-Affected Region Must Land At Dulles For Screening: DHS US-Bound Travelers From Ebola-Affected Region Must Land At Dulles For Screening: DHS US-Bound Travelers From Ebola-Affected Region Must Land At Dulles For Screening: DHS
Us-bound Travelers From Ebola-Affected Region Must Land At Dulles For Screening: DHS Washington Dulles International Airport is now the sole US arrival point for travelers covered under a new federal Ebola-related travel order tied to the growing outbreak in Central Africa. The emergency directive, issued by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, May 21, requires US-bound flights carrying passengers who recently traveled through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan to land at Dulles for enhanced health screening and public health measures. Federal officials said the move is designed to help contain the spread of Ebola as health authorities …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Nottingham-Perry Hall, MD
On Your Side
Maryland Powerball Player Hits $50K Winner On Ticket Sold In Nottingham Maryland Powerball Player Hits $50K Winner On Ticket Sold In Nottingham Maryland Powerball Player Hits $50K Winner On Ticket Sold In Nottingham
Maryland Powerball Player Hits $50K Winner On Ticket Sold In Nottingham A Maryland lottery player is heading into Memorial Day weekend a whole lot richer after a Powerball ticket sold in Baltimore County cashed in for a $50,000 prize. The winning ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven on East Joppa Road in Nottingham for the Wednesday, May 20 drawing, according to Maryland Lottery officials. Whoever bought the lucky ticket matched four white balls plus the Powerball to score the third-tier prize. The winning numbers were 10-28-30-46-57, with a Powerball of 25. Lottery officials have not yet identified the winner, who now has 182 days to claim the prize. Nottingham …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Everything Is NOT Awesome: Fairfax Duo Accused Of Swiping $10K In LEGO Sets Across County Everything Is NOT Awesome: Fairfax Duo Accused Of Swiping $10K In LEGO Sets Across County Everything Is NOT Awesome: Fairfax Duo Accused Of Swiping $10K In LEGO Sets Across County
Everything Is NOT Awesome: Fairfax Duo Accused Of Swiping $10K In Lego Sets Across County Brick by brick, police in Virginia say a devious duo took the term "LEGO collector" to a new level, stealing thousands of dollars worth of sets during a lengthy theft spree. The two were not exactly what one could call master builders. Instead, investigators say Reima McPherson, 43, of no fixed address, and John-Ross Dika, 31, of Fairfax, spent months allegedly bouncing between Target, Walmart, and Home Depot locations, stuffing carts with LEGO sets, appliances, clothing, and other merchandise before allegedly flipping some of it to secondhand merchants around Fairfax County. Police announ…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Clifton-Fairfax Station, VA
Breaking News
Massive Barn Fire Lights Up Night Sky Behind Fairfax County Home Massive Barn Fire Lights Up Night Sky Behind Fairfax County Home Massive Barn Fire Lights Up Night Sky Behind Fairfax County Home
Massive Barn Fire Lights Up Night Sky Behind Fairfax County Home A barn behind a Northern Virginia home was already engulfed when firefighters arrived Wednesday night, sending flames towering into the rainy darkness before crews could stop it from spreading. Crews were called shortly after 9 p.m. on May 20 to the 200 block of Walker Road in Great Falls, where fire was ripping through the structure behind the residence. Photos from the scene showed firefighters facing a wall of orange flames before the barn was reduced to a smoking shell. Limited hydrant access forced crews to bring in tanker trucks while they fought the fire from the outside and protect…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Breaking News
McNeglect? Teen Left Baby Alone While Meeting Friends For Fast Food In Bel Air: Police McNeglect? Teen Left Baby Alone While Meeting Friends For Fast Food In Bel Air: Police McNeglect? Teen Left Baby Alone While Meeting Friends For Fast Food In Bel Air: Police
McNeglect? Teen Left Baby Alone While Meeting Friends For Fast Food In Bel Air: Police She's not lovin' it. A Maryland teen is in line for a side of pruno, not fries, after leaving her 6-month-old in squalor inside a Harford County home to go meet up with some friends at McDonald's. Kira Faust, 19, was arrested by the Aberdeen Police Department in connection with a child neglect investigation, authorities announced. Officers were called to the 600 block of West Bel Air Avenue on Monday, May 18, where there was a report of an infant who was left alone inside a home in "unsafe and unsanitary living conditions." While the child was left to her own devices, police say that Faus…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Ghost Gun, Meth Found After Waldorf Driver Tried Hiding Items During Traffic Stop, Sheriff Says Ghost Gun, Meth Found After Waldorf Driver Tried Hiding Items During Traffic Stop, Sheriff Says Ghost Gun, Meth Found After Waldorf Driver Tried Hiding Items During Traffic Stop, Sheriff Says
Ghost Gun, Meth Found After Waldorf Driver Tried Hiding Items During Traffic Stop, Sheriff Says The saying goes: nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m. Michael Alvaro Monjaras-Ramos did his best to prove that in Southern Maryland on Monday. During an early morning traffic stop on Monday, May 18, Monjaras-Ramos was busted with approximately $1,700 worth of meth, as well as a loaded privately made handgun, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. At approximately 3:39 a.m. on May 18, a CCSO officer attempted to stop a vehicle on Chicamuxen Road near High Ground Farm Place in Indian Head, according to the sheriff's office. Police say the driver slowed down, but kept moving for…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Indian Head-Nanjemoy, MD
Breaking News
PAR For The Course? Lusby Man Busted In Country Club Heist Gone Wrong: Sheriff PAR For The Course? Lusby Man Busted In Country Club Heist Gone Wrong: Sheriff PAR For The Course? Lusby Man Busted In Country Club Heist Gone Wrong: Sheriff
PAR For The Course? Lusby Man Busted In Country Club Heist Gone Wrong: Sheriff Garfield Northey had a case of the Mondays in Southern Maryland. Now he's behind bars after breaking into a country club in Charles County. Northey, 50, took a swing and missed after prying his way into the Swan Point Golf Course pro shop and stealing thousands of dollars worth of clubs and balls before fleeing the scene, according to the sheriff's office. The stolen items totaled more than $5,000, officials said. On Tuesday, May 19, with an assist from the Calvert County Sheriff's Office, Northey was taken into custody at his Lusby home and stolen items taken during the burglary were rec…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Drivers Trapped As Frederick County Storms Tear Down Utility Poles Across Highway (PHOTOS) Drivers Trapped As Frederick County Storms Tear Down Utility Poles Across Highway (PHOTOS) Drivers Trapped As Frederick County Storms Tear Down Utility Poles Across Highway (PHOTOS)
Drivers Trapped As Frederick County Storms Tear Down Utility Poles Across Highway (Photos) The severe storms forecasters warned about all day finally hit Maryland — and they immediately started tearing down power poles across a major Frederick County roadway during the evening commute. Nearly a dozen utility poles snapped and crashed across Buckeystown Pike near Fingerboard Road on Wednesday, May 20, after powerful storms rolled through the area, according to Frederick County Fire & Rescue officials. Photos from the scene showed poles and live wires sprawled across Route 85 as stranded drivers sat trapped between the debris during heavy rain and darkening skies. The sce…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 216 of 3977 214 215 216 217 218 Next
2,151 - 2,160 of 39,761 articles