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

Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Elevator Rescue At PG County Government Building Sends Man To Hospital: Fire Officials Elevator Rescue At PG County Government Building Sends Man To Hospital: Fire Officials Elevator Rescue At PG County Government Building Sends Man To Hospital: Fire Officials
Elevator Rescue At PG County Government Building Sends Man To Hospital: Fire Officials Fire crews were called to a government complex in Maryland after a reported fire led to an elevator rescue and sent one man to the hospital, officials confirmed. Units with the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department were dispatched shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, to the 1300 block of McCormick Drive near the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building, after a fire was reported inside the building. When crews arrived, they found one injured person and multiple occupants trapped inside elevators at the complex, officials said. Firefighters worked to evacuate the elevators wh…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Your Community
Maryland Health Influencer Turns The Camera Around As Family Documents Husband’s Long Road Back Maryland Health Influencer Turns The Camera Around As Family Documents Husband’s Long Road Back Maryland Health Influencer Turns The Camera Around As Family Documents Husband’s Long Road Back
Maryland Health Influencer Turns The Camera Around As Family Documents Husband’s Long Road Back For years, Oliver “Bong” Cortez and his wife Hazel built an online following by sharing health advice, encouragement, and faith-based guidance.  Now, the same social media pages are chronicling something far more personal: Bong’s slow, uncertain recovery after a frightening medical crisis. Cortez, known online as “BongCort,” was hospitalized earlier this month after his vision and balance rapidly deteriorated in Maryland.  Doctors later discovered multiple lesions in his brain, a development that led to a transfer to Johns Hopkins Hospital and a brain biopsy that is still awaitin…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
AG Says Lindsey Halligan Left DOJ After Judge Called US Attorney Title A ‘Charade’ In Virginia AG Says Lindsey Halligan Left DOJ After Judge Called US Attorney Title A ‘Charade’ In Virginia AG Says Lindsey Halligan Left DOJ After Judge Called US Attorney Title A ‘Charade’ In Virginia
AG Says Lindsey Halligan Left DOJ After Judge Called US Attorney Title A ‘Charade’ In Virginia Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed Lindsey Halligan has departed the Department of Justice after a federal judge barred her from continuing to use the title of US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — and branded the situation a “charade.” Bondi released a statement praising Halligan’s 120-day tenure as Interim US Attorney, saying she served “with the utmost distinction” while prosecuting violent offenders, murderers, and child abusers in Virginia. pic.twitter.com/IIoURr8uU3 — Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 21, 2026 The announcement came hours after …

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by Zak Failla
Capitol Heights-District Heights, MD
Obituaries
Known By Many Names, Remembered For Growth: Georgetown Man Dies In Crash Known By Many Names, Remembered For Growth: Georgetown Man Dies In Crash Known By Many Names, Remembered For Growth: Georgetown Man Dies In Crash
Known By Many Names, Remembered For Growth: Georgetown Man Dies In Crash Linwood Owens was a man who went by many names before his unexpected death in a Delaware crash.  The Georgetown native, 37, affectionately known by loved ones as "BooBoo" and "BooWow," was involved in a fatal crash on Sunday, Jan. 11, after losing control of his vehicle and slamming into a tree. Owens leaves behind a family that "is devastated by this unimaginable loss."  "Losing you feels unreal, BooBoo," his cousin wrote. "I’ll miss your smile, your presence, and the journey of watching you grow. You weren’t perfect, but your heart wanted better." "You were seeking the Lord, s…

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by Zak Failla
Elkridge, MD
Breaking News
Vehicle Fire Shuts Down Multiple Lanes On I-95 In Elkridge During Morning Commute Vehicle Fire Shuts Down Multiple Lanes On I-95 In Elkridge During Morning Commute Vehicle Fire Shuts Down Multiple Lanes On I-95 In Elkridge During Morning Commute
Vehicle Fire Shuts Down Multiple Lanes On I-95 In Elkridge During Morning Commute A vehicle fire brought traffic to a crawl on I-95 in Maryland during the Wednesday morning rush, forcing lane closures and backing up drivers near a major interchange. The incident happened on I-95 southbound past Exit 43B for MD 100 in Howard County around 9:29 a.m. Wednesday, January 21, according to transportation officials. Emergency crews responded to the scene, where one vehicle was involved, and multiple lanes were shut down as firefighters worked, officials said.  Three of the four southbound travel lanes were closed, along with one of the two southbound shoulders, causing sig…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Vehicle Plows Into Silver Spring Storefront, Driver Trapped As Crews Race To Save Him Vehicle Plows Into Silver Spring Storefront, Driver Trapped As Crews Race To Save Him Vehicle Plows Into Silver Spring Storefront, Driver Trapped As Crews Race To Save Him
Vehicle Plows Into Silver Spring Storefront, Driver Trapped As Crews Race To Save Him A routine morning in Maryland turned into a frantic rescue when a vehicle plowed into a shopping center storefront, leaving the driver trapped in a perilous position. Firefighters were dispatched after a van crashed into buildings at the Northgate Shopping Center along Georgia Avenue near Aspen Hill Road on Wednesday morning, January 21, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials. Crews arrived to find the minivan embedded in the structure near a Michaels store and Gigi’s Beauty Supply, with significant damage to the storefront and debris spread across the sidewalk and in…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
California Visitors’ Late-Night Hotel Stop Ends With DUI Arrest In Stafford County: Sheriff California Visitors’ Late-Night Hotel Stop Ends With DUI Arrest In Stafford County: Sheriff California Visitors’ Late-Night Hotel Stop Ends With DUI Arrest In Stafford County: Sheriff
California Visitors’ Late-Night Hotel Stop Ends With DUI Arrest In Stafford County: Sheriff A cross-country trip took an unexpected detour after a California couple was arrested in a Virginia hotel parking lot when deputies spotted signs of impairment that were hard to ignore. A Stafford County deputy was patrolling the Staybridge Suites parking lot along Richmond Highway around 1:48 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, when he noticed a man urinating next to a vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. When the deputy made contact, the man showed slurred speech, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and smelled of alcohol, officials reported. As the encounter unfolded, a woman sitting in the driver’s sea…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Measles Case Confirmed In Northern Virginia As Officials Track Possible Exposures Measles Case Confirmed In Northern Virginia As Officials Track Possible Exposures Measles Case Confirmed In Northern Virginia As Officials Track Possible Exposures
Measles Case Confirmed In Northern Virginia As Officials Track Possible Exposures Virginia health officials are investigating another confirmed case of measles in the northern part of the state, raising concerns about potential public exposure after a young child visited several medical facilities while contagious. The case involves a preschool-age child who recently traveled internationally and is not connected to a measles case reported earlier this month.  State health officials said the child was in public settings during the infectious period, prompting an active effort to identify anyone who may have been exposed. Health officials released a list of locations…

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by Zak Failla
Westminster, MD
Breaking News
From Traffic Stop To Drug Bust: Nearly 100 Fentanyl Capsules Found In Westminster, Sheriff Says From Traffic Stop To Drug Bust: Nearly 100 Fentanyl Capsules Found In Westminster, Sheriff Says From Traffic Stop To Drug Bust: Nearly 100 Fentanyl Capsules Found In Westminster, Sheriff Says
From Traffic Stop To Drug Bust: Nearly 100 Fentanyl Capsules Found In Westminster, Sheriff Says A traffic stop in Northern Maryland turned into a major drug bust after deputies discovered suspected fentanyl capsules, cocaine, and drug packaging materials inside a car driven by a pair from Pennsylvania. Members of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Pro-Active Community Enforcement Team were conducting traffic enforcement on Baltimore Boulevard shortly before 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, when they spotted a Honda Accord with a Pennsylvania registration traveling westbound. After observing a traffic violation, deputies stopped the vehicle near Gorsuch Road in Westminster and identified th…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
DC Water Builds Emergency Bypass After Sewer Line Collapse Near I-495 In Montgomery County DC Water Builds Emergency Bypass After Sewer Line Collapse Near I-495 In Montgomery County DC Water Builds Emergency Bypass After Sewer Line Collapse Near I-495 In Montgomery County
DC Water Builds Emergency Bypass After Sewer Line Collapse Near I-495 In Montgomery County A sewage overflow from a major wastewater line shut down a lane near the Capital Beltway and triggered a public health warning after untreated wastewater was seen spilling into the C & O Canal area near the Clara Barton Parkway, officials said. DC Water crews were rushed to the scene after flow was observed coming out of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line near the I-495 interchange in Montgomery County on Monday evening, according to the agency. Contractors were also mobilized to contain the overflow, assess the damage, and begin repairs. As a precaution, the right inbound lane of the …

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by Zak Failla
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