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

Montgomery Village, MD

Breaking News

Police Identify 6-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Self-Inflicted Shooting In Montgomery Village New details have been released days after a 6-year-old was accidentally shot to death in a Maryland townhouse. The Montgomery County Department of Police has identified Lascelle Lee IV as the child who was killed in an accidental shooting earlier this week. According to police, first responders were called at around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, to the 10100 block of Maple Leaf Drive, where there was a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel found Lee suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. Investig…

by Zak Failla

02/19/2026

Towson, MD

Your Community

Mumps Cases In Maryland Triple All Of 2025 Just Weeks Into The New Year, Health Officials Warn Mumps is spreading in Maryland — and health officials are warning clinicians to be ready. Fourteen cases have already been reported statewide in 2026, compared to just four in all of 2025, according to the Maryland Department of Health, raising concerns for some officials. Most of the recent cases are in adults in the Baltimore metropolitan area, officials said in an alert sent to paramedics, though they caution that mumps can occur in any age group, and cases may increase throughout the state. The alert, issued by Dr. Timothy Chizmar, Maryland’s State EMS Medical Director, signals th…

by Zak Failla

02/19/2026

Hyattsville, MD

Your Community

Maryland Lawmakers Press ICE Over Proposed Hyattsville Site Near Church, Children’s Office A proposed ICE facility in Maryland — located blocks from a church and inside the same building as a social services office serving young children and families — is now under scrutiny. The state’s federal delegation is demanding answers. US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and Congressman Glenn Ivey sent a formal letter on Wednesday, Feb. 18, pressing DHS and ICE for details about a proposed lease at 6505 Belcrest Road in Prince George’s County. The questions are direct: Is this just office space? Or could it include enforcement operations, surveillance infrastructure, an…

by Zak Failla

02/19/2026

Arlington, VA

Your Community

Moore Says Trump ‘Is Lying’ As Potomac Sewage Spill Fight Turns Into Federal Showdown Ding, ding. The political fight over the record-setting Potomac sewage spill exploded Wednesday, as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore accused President Donald Trump of “lying to the public” — and the White House fired back. Moore's latest verbal haymaker comes after Trump said the federal government would step in to assist before backtracking and demanding local officials "politely" ask for his office's help. Moore said the federal government — not Maryland — has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor for more than a century. “For the past century, the federal government has been responsible …

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Abington, PA

Your Community

Man With No Legal Status Joined Pennsylvania National Guard, Went AWOL, DHS Says A man with no legal immigration status joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, went AWOL the following year, and later landed a job as a corrections officer — before federal authorities caught up with him. Morris Brown, 45, a Liberian national, was arrested last month in Minneapolis by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for multiple immigration violations, including overstaying a student visa and falsely claiming US citizenship, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But it is the Pennsylvania connection that stands out. Brown entered the US in 2014 on a non-immigrant s…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Who Was Robert Fuller Jr.? Navy Vet, Philanthropist Shot Dead In Potomac Senior Living Home An 87-year-old former Navy lawyer, published author, and major philanthropist was shot to death inside his Maryland senior living apartment on Valentine’s Day, and police are still searching for his killer. Robert G. Fuller Jr. was found unresponsive inside his apartment at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility in the 10800 block of Potomac Tennis Lane shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Officers responding to a reported code at approximately 7:34 a.m. found Fuller suffering from head trauma. Life-saving measures were att…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Annapolis, MD

Your Community

Anne Arundel Man Accused Of Slashing Wife’s Neck Arrested By ICE As DHS Slams MD Restrictions A man accused of slashing his wife’s neck with a box cutter in Anne Arundel County is now in federal custody — as DHS warns Maryland’s new ICE restrictions could prevent similar arrests in the future. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Filberto Gonzalez Gutierrez, a Mexican national charged with attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment, according to the Department of Homeland Security. According to local reporting cited by DHS, Gutierrez allegedly sliced his wife’s neck open with a box cutter and accused her of cheating on him. ICE lodged a detainer with the Anne A…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Columbia, MD

Breaking News

Columbia Man Who Told Ex She’d ‘Never See Son Again’ Faces Parental Kidnapping Charges: DOJ A Maryland man accused of telling his ex-wife she would never see her son again after taking their child overseas is now facing federal international parental kidnapping charges after his arrest in Virginia, authorities announced on Wednesday. Tahseen Dakheel Samo, 36, of Columbia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a divorce and contentious custody battle over the couple's young child. According to court documents, Samo and his former spouse, who are both US citizens, have family members living in Sweden. In December 2020, while his ex and their son visited family…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Centreville, VA

Breaking News

Watch: Firefighters Run Toward Massive Centreville Home Explosion In New Video Dramatic new video of the gas-fed home explosion that rocked a Virginia neighborhood and displaced dozens has been released by fire investigators. Crews from the Fairfax County Fire Department and surrounding agencies rushed into a house fire following a reported explosion around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, in the 14300 block of Quail Pond Court in Centreville. Residents reportedly smelled natural gas in the hours before the explosion. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue In the video, crews can be seen keeping their distance from the dilapidated home as they battled roaring flames tha…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

Arlington, VA

Obituaries

Hotels Reserved, Games Planned: Tre' Johnson's Family Now Faces Season Without Devoted Dad The games are still on the schedule — but Tre’ Johnson won’t be in the stands. Johnson, a former Washington Redskins Pro Bowl lineman turned history teacher at the Landon School in Bethesda, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday, Feb. 15, during a brief family trip, his wife announced. He was 54. For those who knew him in Maryland, Johnson was more than a former college and NFL standout. He was Dad. “If you know Tre', you know what a devoted and loving father he was to his children,” Irene Johnson wrote. “Tre' lived for his kids’ sports activities and supported them through ever…

by Zak Failla

02/18/2026

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