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

Dunkirk-Owings, MD
Breaking News
Dundalk Man Blasts Beers, Hits 120 MPH In Chase Before Crashing In Front Of Home: Sheriff Dundalk Man Blasts Beers, Hits 120 MPH In Chase Before Crashing In Front Of Home: Sheriff Dundalk Man Blasts Beers, Hits 120 MPH In Chase Before Crashing In Front Of Home: Sheriff
Dundalk Man Blasts Beers, Hits 120 MPH In Chase Before Crashing In Front Of Home: Sheriff A man who had a few too many beers took sheriff's deputies on a wild high-speed chase that topped 120 mph before crashing in front of a Maryland house, officials say. Dundalk resident Irvin Danilo Avelar Arrue, 32, did his best to avoid his arrest, but ultimately landed himself behind bars after a speeding stop turned into a police pursuit through Calvert County, according to the sheriff's office. A deputy on patrol attempted to stop Arrue on West Chesapeake Beach Road in Dunkirk after clocking him at 98 mph. He refused to stop and continued onto Brickhouse Road, reaching speeds of 120 mph …

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Fatal Police Shooting Under Investigation After Man Pulls Handgun In Baltimore Store: AG Fatal Police Shooting Under Investigation After Man Pulls Handgun In Baltimore Store: AG Fatal Police Shooting Under Investigation After Man Pulls Handgun In Baltimore Store: AG
Fatal Police Shooting Under Investigation After Man Pulls Handgun In Baltimore Store: AG A routine evening inside a Maryland store turned deadly when a man ran from officers and pulled a handgun within feet of one of them. Seconds later, shots rang out. Two Baltimore Police officers fired their weapons around 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, inside a business in the 3600 block of Belair Road in Baltimore, striking the man. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division has now taken over the case, as required by state law in all police-involved fatalities. Investigators say the officers were alrea…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Biker Hurt After Fredericksburg Man Intentionally Slams Into Motorcycle In Stafford: Sheriff Biker Hurt After Fredericksburg Man Intentionally Slams Into Motorcycle In Stafford: Sheriff Biker Hurt After Fredericksburg Man Intentionally Slams Into Motorcycle In Stafford: Sheriff
Biker Hurt After Fredericksburg Man Intentionally Slams Into Motorcycle In Stafford: Sheriff A hit-and-run driver who allegedly intentionally rammed into the back of a motorcyclist in Northern Virginia has been apprehended weeks later. Richard Brown, 32, of Fredericksburg, is facing attempted murder and other major charges after slamming into a motorcyclist who was thrown from his bike during a bout of road rage, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Shortly after 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, deputies were called to the area of 21 Cool Springs Road to investigate a reported motorcycle crash and potential hit-and-run.  Upon arrival, they found a motorcyclist lying…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Man First Labeled As 'Person Of Interest' Now Charged In Hybla Valley Bus Stop Murder: Police Man First Labeled As 'Person Of Interest' Now Charged In Hybla Valley Bus Stop Murder: Police Man First Labeled As 'Person Of Interest' Now Charged In Hybla Valley Bus Stop Murder: Police
Man First Labeled As 'Person Of Interest' Now Charged In Hybla Valley Bus Stop Murder: Police The homeless man who was first labeled a person of interest in a deadly Virginia bus stop stabbing is now charged with murder. Abdul Jalloh, 32, who has no fixed address, has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter of Fredericksburg, Fairfax County Police announced Wednesday, Feb. 25. Officers responded at 7:16 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, to Richmond Highway and Arlington Drive in Hybla Valley for a death investigation. When officers arrived, they found Minter inside a bus stop shelter suffering from multiple stab wounds to her upper body…

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by Zak Failla
Ashburn, VA
Breaking News
Maintenance Driver Charged After 20-Year-Old Killed Near Stone Bridge High School Maintenance Driver Charged After 20-Year-Old Killed Near Stone Bridge High School Maintenance Driver Charged After 20-Year-Old Killed Near Stone Bridge High School
Maintenance Driver Charged After 20-Year-Old Killed Near Stone Bridge High School A driver has been charged after a 20-year-old woman was struck and killed by a Loudoun County Public Schools vehicle near Stone Bridge High School last month. Leesburg resident Dale Whitney Taylor, 58, was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, a misdemeanor, in connection to the crash that claimed the life of Calina Yu in Ashburn. First responders were called shortly after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to the intersection of Claiborne Parkway and Portsmouth Boulevard, where there was a crash involving a pedestrian. Upon arrival, paramedics found Yu in the roadway after being stru…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Trooper Shooting Suspect Charged In Murder Of Millionaire At Potomac Senior Living Facility: PD Trooper Shooting Suspect Charged In Murder Of Millionaire At Potomac Senior Living Facility: PD Trooper Shooting Suspect Charged In Murder Of Millionaire At Potomac Senior Living Facility: PD
Trooper Shooting Suspect Charged In Murder Of Millionaire At Potomac Senior Living Facility: PD The 22-year-old who fired shots at a Maryland State Police trooper during a traffic stop has now been linked to the murder of millionaire philanthropist Robert Fuller Jr. at a senior living facility in Potomac. Marquise Emilio James, a Baltimore resident who was working at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living facility, where Fuller was killed on Valentine's Day, has been charged with his murder, authorities announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Fuller was found unresponsive inside his apartment at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility in the 10800 block of Potomac Tennis Lane shortly after 7:…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
To Catch A Predator: Canadian Who Traveled To Virginia For Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To Catch A Predator: Canadian Who Traveled To Virginia For Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl Sentenced To Catch A Predator: Canadian Who Traveled To Virginia For Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl Sentenced
To Catch A Predator: Canadian Who Traveled To Virginia For Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl Sentenced A Canadian predator who traveled hundreds of miles to have sex with someone he thought was a minor will spend years behind bars after being caught in a compromising position, federal authorities announced. Tommy Varesh, 54, of Toronto, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in Virginia after preying on whom he thought was a 15-year-old girl. In fact, it was an undercover officer. According to court documents, in May 2025, Varesh used a publicly-viewable online discussion platform to contact a p…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Gaithersburg Man Was Hired To Organize A Maryland Home, Police Say He Organized A Heist Instead Gaithersburg Man Was Hired To Organize A Maryland Home, Police Say He Organized A Heist Instead Gaithersburg Man Was Hired To Organize A Maryland Home, Police Say He Organized A Heist Instead
Gaithersburg Man Was Hired To Organize A Maryland Home, Police Say He Organized A Heist Instead He was hired to declutter closets — not clean out valuables. But police say a Gaithersburg man tasked with organizing a Bethesda home left behind more than neatly folded clothes, allegedly pocketing jewelry, cash, and gift cards before walking out the door. Aissa Mahdi Ould Brahim, 27, has been charged following an investigation into thefts at a home in the 5000 block of Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda, Montgomery County Police announced Wednesday, Feb. 25. Officers say the incident began around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, when Brahim was inside the home providing professional organizing servi…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Identities Released After Fairfax Father Killed Wife, Daughter Before Fatal Police Shooting Identities Released After Fairfax Father Killed Wife, Daughter Before Fatal Police Shooting Identities Released After Fairfax Father Killed Wife, Daughter Before Fatal Police Shooting
Identities Released After Fairfax Father Killed Wife, Daughter Before Fatal Police Shooting The names are now public in one of Virginia's most violent domestic attacks in recent memory. Chhatra Thapa, 54, of Fairfax, was shot and killed by officers after he fatally stabbed his wife and daughter before turning the knife on his son-in-law inside a Mantua apartment early on Monday, Feb. 23, according to Fairfax County Police. Mamta Thapa, 33, and Binda Thapa, 52, also of Fairfax, died at the hospital after suffering stab wounds during the attack. The son-in-law remains hospitalized with critical injuries as of Wednesday, Feb. 25. Multiple 911 calls were reported at around 5 a.m. on…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Driver Who Ambushed Maryland Trooper During Baltimore Traffic Stop Apprehended: State Police Driver Who Ambushed Maryland Trooper During Baltimore Traffic Stop Apprehended: State Police Driver Who Ambushed Maryland Trooper During Baltimore Traffic Stop Apprehended: State Police
Driver Who Ambushed Maryland Trooper During Baltimore Traffic Stop Apprehended: State Police A 22-year-old man is in custody after firing shots at a Maryland State Police trooper during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning, authorities announced. It didn't take long for local, state, and federal investigators to track down Maurquise Emillo James, who was apprehended in Montgomery County less than 12 hours after shooting at the trooper. Shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, a trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a gray Infiniti near the intersection of Belle Avenue and Milford Avenue in Baltimore, according to the department. At the time, the vehicle had no headlights or…

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by Zak Failla
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