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

Annapolis, MD
Weather
Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Trail During Deep Freeze Was Thousands Of Miles From Home Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Trail During Deep Freeze Was Thousands Of Miles From Home Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Trail During Deep Freeze Was Thousands Of Miles From Home
Woman Found Dead On Annapolis Trail During Deep Freeze Was Thousands Of Miles From Home A woman found dead along a popular Annapolis hiking trail during last week’s deep freeze has been identified — and she was thousands of miles from home. Annapolis Police on Monday identified the victim as Portia Latrice Jones, 44, of California, who died after being found unresponsive near a trail by the tennis courts at Truxtun Park on Wednesday, Jan. 28, police said. Officers were called to the area at 2:36 p.m. for reports of an unresponsive woman, where investigators believe Jones may have slipped on ice before succumbing to the dangerously cold weather, according to police. Authoritie…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Both Runways At BWI Suddenly Shut Down For Emergency Pavement Repairs (DEVELOPING) Both Runways At BWI Suddenly Shut Down For Emergency Pavement Repairs (DEVELOPING) Both Runways At BWI Suddenly Shut Down For Emergency Pavement Repairs (DEVELOPING)
Both Runways At BWI Suddenly Shut Down For Emergency Pavement Repairs (Developing) Both commercial runways at BWI Marshall Airport were temporarily closed Monday evening as crews rushed to complete emergency pavement repairs, airport officials said. Airport officials announced the shutdown just after 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, saying maintenance teams were already working to address the issue and reopen the runways as quickly as possible. The temporary closure was coordinated with the FAA control tower, according to the airport. “Safety is our top priority,” airport officials said. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate the patience of our passengers and ai…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Weather
Walking On The Frozen Potomac River? Don't. Police Beg Residents To Stop Tempting Fate Walking On The Frozen Potomac River? Don't. Police Beg Residents To Stop Tempting Fate Walking On The Frozen Potomac River? Don't. Police Beg Residents To Stop Tempting Fate
Walking On The Frozen Potomac River? Don't. Police Beg Residents To Stop Tempting Fate People trying to walk across the frozen Potomac River are forcing police to issue a blunt warning to anyone thinking about turning winter into a daredevil challenge. Metropolitan Police Department officers became aware of multiple individuals attempting to walk on the iced-over Potomac River near the Georgetown waterfront, the department confirmed on Monday afternoon. While the river may look solid, police stressed that appearances are dangerously misleading, especially as one of the coldest weeks in years tightens its grip on the region — including Northern Virginia and Maryland communitie…

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by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Wanted Fugitive Rams Porsche Into Cop Car During Wild Pasadena Pursuit, Police Say Wanted Fugitive Rams Porsche Into Cop Car During Wild Pasadena Pursuit, Police Say Wanted Fugitive Rams Porsche Into Cop Car During Wild Pasadena Pursuit, Police Say
Wanted Fugitive Rams Porsche Into Cop Car During Wild Pasadena Pursuit, Police Say A wanted Baltimore man was a little too fast and a lot too furious when he drove his Porsche into a police vehicle while attempting to evade arrest in Anne Arundel County. Trevian Christopher Davis, 33, is facing new charges after a brazen daytime chase and multiple crashes before his arrest over the weekend in Pasadena, police say. Officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department on patrol shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, received an alert from the Automated License Plate Reader System of a blue 2022 Porsche sedan owned by an individual with outstanding arrest wa…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Weather
Virginia Opossum 'Birmingham Jill' Crashes Groundhog Day To Deliver Six More Weeks Of Winter Virginia Opossum 'Birmingham Jill' Crashes Groundhog Day To Deliver Six More Weeks Of Winter Virginia Opossum 'Birmingham Jill' Crashes Groundhog Day To Deliver Six More Weeks Of Winter
Virginia Opossum 'Birmingham Jill' Crashes Groundhog Day To Deliver Six More Weeks Of Winter Groundhog Day didn’t belong to Punxsutawney Phil this year — it belonged to a Virginia opossum named Birmingham Jill. While the calendar flipped to Monday, Feb. 2, a native Virginia opossum stole the spotlight hundreds of miles from home, stepping in as an unlikely weather forecaster at the Birmingham Zoo. Instead of waking a groggy groundhog, zoo officials handed the prediction duties to Jill, a Virginia opossum, who made her debut call during a special event held a day early because the zoo was closed on the actual holiday. And in true Groundhog Day fashion, Jill did not deliver good …

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Passenger Lies After Car Flips, Deputies Say DUI Driver Was Behind Wheel In Stafford: Sheriff Passenger Lies After Car Flips, Deputies Say DUI Driver Was Behind Wheel In Stafford: Sheriff Passenger Lies After Car Flips, Deputies Say DUI Driver Was Behind Wheel In Stafford: Sheriff
Passenger Lies After Car Flips, Deputies Say DUI Driver Was Behind Wheel In Stafford: Sheriff A late-night crash in Virginia took a strange turn after a flipped vehicle, a suspected drunk driver, and a passenger who initially claimed she was behind the wheel — before deputies say the story fell apart. Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office were called to the 500 block of Popular Road in Fredericksburg to probe a reported crash. When deputies arrived, they say they found a vehicle upside down in a ditch. That was the least strange thing that would play out at the crash scene. Deputies say that a man and woman were both at …

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
PG County Family Loses Everything In Fast-Moving Overnight Fire As Friends Scramble To Help PG County Family Loses Everything In Fast-Moving Overnight Fire As Friends Scramble To Help PG County Family Loses Everything In Fast-Moving Overnight Fire As Friends Scramble To Help
PG County Family Loses Everything In Fast-Moving Overnight Fire As Friends Scramble To Help Days after a fast-moving overnight fire tore through a Maryland townhome, displacing a family and destroying nearly everything they owned, friends are now rallying to help them rebuild from the ground up. The blaze erupted in the early morning hours of Friday, Jan. 30, at a three-story townhome in the 4500 block of Col Gardiner Way, where firefighters battled towering flames and heavy smoke before bringing the fire under control. No one was injured, but the family who lived inside — identified by friends as the Walkers — lost their home and all of their belongings in a matter of minutes. …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Driver's Night Ends Asleep At Fredericksburg Sheetz, Arrested For Third DUI: Sheriff Driver's Night Ends Asleep At Fredericksburg Sheetz, Arrested For Third DUI: Sheriff Driver's Night Ends Asleep At Fredericksburg Sheetz, Arrested For Third DUI: Sheriff
Driver's Night Ends Asleep At Fredericksburg Sheetz, Arrested For Third DUI: Sheriff For the third time in 10 years, a Virginia man's night ended not at home, but asleep behind bars after he was found passed out behind the wheel at a Stafford County Sheetz, the sheriff's office said. Woodbridge resident Jaleel Moorehead, 32, found himself in a familiar position over the weekend when deputies responded to the gas station following a crash involving a sleepy man, according to officials. Deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office were called shortly before 10:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, to Sheetz in Washington Square Plaza following reports of a truck that backed into …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Shooter Confesses After Family Poodle Shot Blind With Birdshot In Virginia, Sheriff Says Shooter Confesses After Family Poodle Shot Blind With Birdshot In Virginia, Sheriff Says Shooter Confesses After Family Poodle Shot Blind With Birdshot In Virginia, Sheriff Says
Shooter Confesses After Family Poodle Shot Blind With Birdshot In Virginia, Sheriff Says The man accused of shooting a family poodle blind with birdshot outside a Virginia home has been arrested after investigators say he confessed to the disturbing act. Edwin Green Turner, 52, was taken into custody following an animal cruelty investigation tied to the shooting of a poodle named Bella near Holloway Drive in Bassett, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office announced. The arrest follows a January incident in which Bella was briefly let outside her home before gunshots rang out in the area. Minutes later, the dog was found suffering from severe injuries consistent with being shot with…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
They Spent Years Helping Animals — Now a West Springfield House Fire Has Upended Their Lives They Spent Years Helping Animals — Now a West Springfield House Fire Has Upended Their Lives They Spent Years Helping Animals — Now a West Springfield House Fire Has Upended Their Lives
They Spent Years Helping Animals — Now a West Springfield House Fire Has Upended Their Lives A devastating house fire in Virginia didn’t just destroy a home — it upended the lives of a couple known for spending years helping others, especially animals in need. Lori and Rick Farro barely escaped their burning home in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 28, after a fast-moving fire tore through their house on Jansen Court in West Springfield, leaving Lori critically injured and the couple with nowhere to return to. Lori suffered severe, life-altering burns and remains in the ICU Burn Center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where she faces multiple surgeries and a long, p…

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by Zak Failla
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