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

Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Serial Burglar Accused Of Targeting Hotels, Homes Across Baltimore Busted With Stolen Haul: PD Serial Burglar Accused Of Targeting Hotels, Homes Across Baltimore Busted With Stolen Haul: PD Serial Burglar Accused Of Targeting Hotels, Homes Across Baltimore Busted With Stolen Haul: PD
Serial Burglar Accused Of Targeting Hotels, Homes Across Baltimore Busted With Stolen Haul: PD A suspected serial burglar accused of targeting hotels, apartment buildings, and businesses in Maryland is now in custody after Baltimore detectives tracked him down and uncovered a stash of stolen property. Investigators say Jamal Gardner, 34, was arrested in Baltimore after detectives connected him to a string of theft-related crimes stretching across multiple locations in the city. Gardner was taken into custody during an operation led by the Warrant Apprehension Task Force and Central District detectives, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Police tracked him to an apartment …

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Rental Scam Turns Sinister In Stafford As Victim Told Family Would Be Killed, Sheriff Says Rental Scam Turns Sinister In Stafford As Victim Told Family Would Be Killed, Sheriff Says Rental Scam Turns Sinister In Stafford As Victim Told Family Would Be Killed, Sheriff Says
Rental Scam Turns Sinister In Stafford As Victim Told Family Would Be Killed, Sheriff Says A Virginia resident looking for a place to live ended up facing a chilling threat instead. Deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office say a suspected rental scam escalated into death threats against a victim and their family during a conversation about a property listing. The incident unfolded shortly after 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, when Deputy Edwards responded to the 100 block of Dover Place after the victim reported being threatened. The victim had been speaking with someone online about renting a property. At first, the conversation seemed routine. The person on the othe…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Gwynn Oak Man 'Beautiful Life Allah' Gets Prison Time For Passport Fraud Scheme Gwynn Oak Man 'Beautiful Life Allah' Gets Prison Time For Passport Fraud Scheme Gwynn Oak Man 'Beautiful Life Allah' Gets Prison Time For Passport Fraud Scheme
Gwynn Oak Man 'Beautiful Life Allah' Gets Prison Time For Passport Fraud Scheme A Maryland man with a name that turns heads in court records is heading to federal prison after authorities uncovered a passport fraud scheme involving stolen identities and bogus documents. Beautiful Life Allah, 66, of Gwynn Oak, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to an elaborate passport fraud scheme that involved him stealing Social Security numbers. Prosecutors say the case unfolded after investigators discovered Allah repeatedly used someone else’s identity while attempting to secure official government documents. The scheme stretched from August 2022…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Good Samaritan Recovering After Friend Stabbed To Death In I-495 Road Rage Attack In Fairfax Good Samaritan Recovering After Friend Stabbed To Death In I-495 Road Rage Attack In Fairfax Good Samaritan Recovering After Friend Stabbed To Death In I-495 Road Rage Attack In Fairfax
Good Samaritan Recovering After Friend Stabbed To Death In I-495 Road Rage Attack In Fairfax What started as an act of kindness in Virginia turned into a nightmare for Heather Miller, who watched her friend be stabbed to death before Jared Llamado turned the knife on her. Now, she begins the road to recovery. Miller, 40, was one of four people attacked by the 32-year-old McLean man on Sunday, March 1, when a bout of road rage on I-495 in Fairfax turned deadly. "On what should have been an ordinary Sunday, a violent and senseless act changed multiple lives forever," friend Jackie Masella said. "A man who had already been driving dangerously caused an accident and stopped on the sho…

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by Zak Failla
Dundalk, MD
Breaking News
Maryland AG Clears Officers In Fatal Dundalk Police Shooting After Shotgun Standoff Maryland AG Clears Officers In Fatal Dundalk Police Shooting After Shotgun Standoff Maryland AG Clears Officers In Fatal Dundalk Police Shooting After Shotgun Standoff
Maryland AG Clears Officers In Fatal Dundalk Police Shooting After Shotgun Standoff More than four months after a standoff with a shotgun-wielding man ended with a deadly officer-involved shooting in Maryland, the attorney general ruled that no charges will be filed. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced that his office has declined to prosecute six Baltimore County Police officers involved in the October 2025 shooting of Robert James Adams.  The deadly confrontation began around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the 2100 block of Larkhall Road in Dundalk, when Baltimore County 911 operators received multiple calls reporting a man firing a shotgun outside a hom…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
'HOME!': Virginia Boy Back With Family Weeks After Terrifying Sledding Crash Left Him In ICU 'HOME!': Virginia Boy Back With Family Weeks After Terrifying Sledding Crash Left Him In ICU 'HOME!': Virginia Boy Back With Family Weeks After Terrifying Sledding Crash Left Him In ICU
'Home!': Virginia Boy Back With Family Weeks After Terrifying Sledding Crash Left Him In ICU A Virginia boy whose terrifying sledding accident left him unconscious in intensive care is finally home. Deacon Whitson is back with his family exactly one month after the crash that sent him to the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital with multiple serious injuries. Deacon GoFundMe “HOME! Deacon is home!!!!” aunt Michelle Hamson wrote in an emotional update. “Exactly one month to the day after the accident, our guy is finally home.” "We. Are. HOME," his mother posted. "We successfully surprised his brother, and no one was happier than Ellie."  The accident…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Your Community
Moore Slams Trump-Vance Immigration Policies As 'Very Dangerous,' Targets ICE Budget Moore Slams Trump-Vance Immigration Policies As 'Very Dangerous,' Targets ICE Budget Moore Slams Trump-Vance Immigration Policies As 'Very Dangerous,' Targets ICE Budget
Moore Slams Trump-Vance Immigration Policies As 'Very Dangerous,' Targets ICE Budget Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is taking direct aim at ICE and the Trump-Vance administration, calling the federal government’s immigration approach “very dangerous” in a sharply worded statement. Moore said the nation’s immigration system has been broken for years, but he argued the current administration’s policies are making matters worse, pointing to enforcement actions in Maryland as an example. “Our immigration system has been broken for a very long time – and that blame rests on the shoulders of both political parties,” Moore said in a lengthy statement. “But the Trump-Vance Administration…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
NJ Man Who Drove SUV Onto Washington Monument, Targeted Pedestrian Convicted In DC: DOJ NJ Man Who Drove SUV Onto Washington Monument, Targeted Pedestrian Convicted In DC: DOJ NJ Man Who Drove SUV Onto Washington Monument, Targeted Pedestrian Convicted In DC: DOJ
NJ Man Who Drove SUV Onto Washington Monument, Targeted Pedestrian Convicted In DC: DOJ A New Jersey man who turned a holiday celebration in the nation's capital into a near-deadly incident has been convicted, federal authorities announced on Tuesday. Jack Dessin, 43, of Mantua, was convicted by a Superior Court jury in DC after he drove his SUV onto the sidewalk of the Washington Monument in July 2021, according to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Prosecutors said that on July 3, 2021, Dessin drove his dark blue Ford Explorer onto the sidewalk of the Washington Monument grounds as several pedestrians were walking and sightseeing.  While a 68-year-old man was in the area, …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Fredericksburg Road Rage Turns Into Real-Life Demolition Derby Before Driver Pulls Knife: PD Fredericksburg Road Rage Turns Into Real-Life Demolition Derby Before Driver Pulls Knife: PD Fredericksburg Road Rage Turns Into Real-Life Demolition Derby Before Driver Pulls Knife: PD
Fredericksburg Road Rage Turns Into Real-Life Demolition Derby Before Driver Pulls Knife: PD Rush hour turned violent in Virginia when a road rage confrontation spiraled into a crash, repeated vehicle rammings, and a stabbing, police say. The chaos began around 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, when Fredericksburg Police were called to a crash in the 2200 block of Emancipation Highway, authorities said. Before officers even arrived, the situation escalated. The driver of one vehicle fled the crash scene and sped southbound on Emancipation Highway, triggering a pursuit by the other driver. Both vehicles eventually stopped in the 3300 block of Emancipation Highway, where investigators say…

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by Zak Failla
Annandale, VA
Breaking News
Fight Between High School Girls Turns Deadly When Angry DC Dad Opens Fire, Killing Man: Feds Fight Between High School Girls Turns Deadly When Angry DC Dad Opens Fire, Killing Man: Feds Fight Between High School Girls Turns Deadly When Angry DC Dad Opens Fire, Killing Man: Feds
Fight Between High School Girls Turns Deadly When Angry DC Dad Opens Fire, Killing Man: Feds A fight between two high school girls meant to settle an argument ended with one man's death and a father behind bars for the next 14 years, federal authorities announced on Tuesday. District resident David Pena, 49, was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison after being convicted in connection with the June 2023 shooting death of Maurice Robinson. According to the government’s evidence, on June 12, 2023, Pena’s daughter and her best friend agreed to fight each other to settle an argument they were having. Robinson was part of a larger group that had arrived to watch the fight. As the g…

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by Zak Failla
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