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

Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Massive Flames Rip Through Fairfax Garage As Black Smoke Fills Sky Massive Flames Rip Through Fairfax Garage As Black Smoke Fills Sky Massive Flames Rip Through Fairfax Garage As Black Smoke Fills Sky
Massive Flames Rip Through Fairfax Garage As Black Smoke Fills Sky A raging garage fire tore through a Northern Virginia home Tuesday evening, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters raced to stop the flames from spreading through the structure. Crews were called just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, to the 11300 block of Bulova Lane in the Fairfax area for reports of a garage fire, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames pouring from the attached garage of a single-family home, with the fire already extending into the first floor of the residence. Dramatic images …

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Service Restored After Massive Bethesda Water Main Break Tore Open Roadway (UPDATED) Service Restored After Massive Bethesda Water Main Break Tore Open Roadway (UPDATED) Service Restored After Massive Bethesda Water Main Break Tore Open Roadway (UPDATED)
Service Restored After Massive Bethesda Water Main Break Tore Open Roadway (Updated) A massive Maryland water main break that split open a major roadway, flooded intersections, and snarled rush hour traffic is finally entering the repair phase after crews worked through the night beneath Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda. What started as a violent rupture Tuesday afternoon near the Chevy Chase line quickly turned into an around-the-clock infrastructure emergency after a 20-inch underground water main burst beneath the roadway, sending muddy water pouring across intersections and cracking apart large sections of pavement. The aftermath of the water main break. @WSSCWater…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Puff, Puff, Law Not Passed: Spanberger Spoils Legal Weed Sales In Virginia With Veto Puff, Puff, Law Not Passed: Spanberger Spoils Legal Weed Sales In Virginia With Veto Puff, Puff, Law Not Passed: Spanberger Spoils Legal Weed Sales In Virginia With Veto
Puff, Puff, Law Not Passed: Spanberger Spoils Legal Weed Sales In Virginia With Veto Virginia legalized marijuana years ago. But after Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s latest move, residents still won’t be able to legally buy it anywhere in the Commonwealth anytime soon. Spanberger announced Tuesday that she is vetoing legislation that would have finally created a regulated retail marijuana marketplace in Virginia, keeping the state stuck in a strange legal limbo where adults can legally possess cannabis — but licensed recreational sales still do not exist. Puff, puff... legislation not passed. That means Virginia will remain the only state in the country that has legalized adul…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Man Arrested Days After Fatal Stabbing Of 17-Year-Old Amari Clarke In Silver Spring: Police Man Arrested Days After Fatal Stabbing Of 17-Year-Old Amari Clarke In Silver Spring: Police Man Arrested Days After Fatal Stabbing Of 17-Year-Old Amari Clarke In Silver Spring: Police
Man Arrested Days After Fatal Stabbing Of 17-Year-Old Amari Clarke In Silver Spring: Police A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the midday murder of a teenager who was found dead outside his Maryland home earlier this month, authorities announced. Suitland resident Anforne Golden is being held without bail for his alleged role in the deadly stabbing of 17-year-old Amari Clarke in Silver Spring, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. At around 12:20 p.m. on Friday, May 8, officers were called to the 3800 block of St. Barnabas Road to investigate a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, they found Clarke suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was rushe…

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Massive Maryland Water Main Break Splits Open Road, Floods Bethesda Streets (DEVELOPING) Massive Maryland Water Main Break Splits Open Road, Floods Bethesda Streets (DEVELOPING) Massive Maryland Water Main Break Splits Open Road, Floods Bethesda Streets (DEVELOPING)
Massive Maryland Water Main Break Splits Open Road, Floods Bethesda Streets (Developing) A massive water main break tore apart a major roadway in Montgomery County, flooding streets and triggering emergency closures during Tuesday afternoon rush hour in Maryland. The rupture occurred beneath Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda, near the Chevy Chase line, where a 20-inch underground water main burst, causing sections of pavement to buckle, crack, and collapse, officials say. Critical Event - MCFRS on the scene - Bradley Blvd and Arlington Road (Bethesda) - EXTENDED ROAD CLOSURE FOR WATER MAIN BREAK AND ROAD CRACKING. Bradley Blvd in Both directions between Arlington Rd and Leland S…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Your Community
Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence
Antisemitic Graffiti Found In Stafford High School Bathrooms Sparks Increased Police Presence Students returning to Stafford High School on Wednesday will see an increased police presence on and around campus after hateful, antisemitic graffiti was found in student bathrooms. A joint investigation was launched by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office and Stafford Public Schools following hateful rhetoric and threats found inside student bathrooms this week. While investigators say they have not found evidence of a credible threat against the school community, the nature of the graffiti was serious enough for law enforcement to increase its presence at the school out of caution. Offi…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Woman Accused Of Multi-State Fraud Scheme Arrested After Months On Run: Sheriff Waldorf Woman Accused Of Multi-State Fraud Scheme Arrested After Months On Run: Sheriff Waldorf Woman Accused Of Multi-State Fraud Scheme Arrested After Months On Run: Sheriff
Waldorf Woman Accused Of Multi-State Fraud Scheme Arrested After Months On Run: Sheriff A fraudster who conned victims in multiple states out of tens of thousands of dollars was apprehended in Southern Maryland following a months-long investigation. Waldorf resident Annaya Lisette Hines, 26, has been arrested in connection with an ongoing identity theft and fraud investigation after allegedly stealing victims' banking information. The investigation began in September 2025, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office, when Hines fraudulently obtained a victim’s banking information and used it to make unauthorized electronic payments to cover bills. Between then and late J…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Man Found Lying In Grass Leads Spotsy Deputies To Drug, Gun Bust Along Highway: Sheriff Man Found Lying In Grass Leads Spotsy Deputies To Drug, Gun Bust Along Highway: Sheriff Man Found Lying In Grass Leads Spotsy Deputies To Drug, Gun Bust Along Highway: Sheriff
Man Found Lying In Grass Leads Spotsy Deputies To Drug, Gun Bust Along Highway: Sheriff A pair from South Carolina, hundreds of miles from home, is facing charges in Virginia following a strange incident on a busy highway. What started as a "citizen report" ended with Lawrence Batchelder, 61, and Lynda Lee, 58, behind bars after a bizarre early-morning drug bust over the weekend. At around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, deputies from the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office were flagged down by a Good Samaritan about a man who was lying in the grass in the 10300 block of Patriot Highway. While speaking with the man, investigators say deputies observed signs of narcotics impairment, …

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by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Breaking News
Former School Administrator From Aberdeen Busted In Teen Solicitation Sting, Sheriff Says Former School Administrator From Aberdeen Busted In Teen Solicitation Sting, Sheriff Says Former School Administrator From Aberdeen Busted In Teen Solicitation Sting, Sheriff Says
Former School Administrator From Aberdeen Busted In Teen Solicitation Sting, Sheriff Says A former educator and school administrator in Maryland who preyed on what he thought was a teenage boy online is facing criminal charges, authorities announced. Dennis Jutras, 61, has been arrested following an undercover operation into his alleged online solicitation of minors that kicked off earlier this month when a detective posing as a 15-year-old was contacted by the longtime teacher. According to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Jutras identified himself as an educator with Baltimore City Public Schools. Further investigation revealed that he had taught at Baltimo…

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by Zak Failla
Burtonsville, MD
Obituaries
'She Always Put Others First': Burtonsviile Mom Fatally Stabbed By Son Remembered By Loved Ones 'She Always Put Others First': Burtonsviile Mom Fatally Stabbed By Son Remembered By Loved Ones 'She Always Put Others First': Burtonsviile Mom Fatally Stabbed By Son Remembered By Loved Ones
'She Always Put Others First': Burtonsviile Mom Fatally Stabbed By Son Remembered By Loved Ones Support is swelling for a Maryland mother and grandmother who was allegedly stabbed to death by her 28-year-old son, who fled the state. Glenda Reyes, 50, is being remembered as a doting family member "whose kindness touched so many people" after she was found dead in her Burtonsville home over the weekend. Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called shortly before 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, to a home in the 3900 block of Blackburn Lane in Burtonsville to investigate a reported stabbing. Investigators say Ricardo Adelso Colato Salamanca assaulted his mother, then …

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by Zak Failla
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