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

Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Suspected Teen Mushroom, Marijuana Dealers Busted In Fairfax County Traffic Stop: Police Suspected Teen Mushroom, Marijuana Dealers Busted In Fairfax County Traffic Stop: Police Suspected Teen Mushroom, Marijuana Dealers Busted In Fairfax County Traffic Stop: Police
Suspected Teen Mushroom, Marijuana Dealers Busted In Fairfax County Traffic Stop: Police What started as a simple traffic stop for a loud exhaust in Virginia landed three teens behind bars and took drugs off the street, police say. Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department made a major drug and weapon bust, resulting in the arrest of three suspects on a host of charges and a massive seizure. Shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, officers on patrol in the area of Russell Road and Norwood Drive in Woodlawn stopped 19-year-old Alexandria resident Michael Owusu for a loud, modified exhaust. Then things took a turn. According to police, while speaking with Owusu an…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Viral Hate Crime Video Sparks New Alexandria Police Policy After Grocery Store Attack Viral Hate Crime Video Sparks New Alexandria Police Policy After Grocery Store Attack Viral Hate Crime Video Sparks New Alexandria Police Policy After Grocery Store Attack
Viral Hate Crime Video Sparks New Alexandria Police Policy After Grocery Store Attack After video surfaced of a Christmas Day hate crime at a Virginia grocery store, the Alexandria Police Department announced a new hate crime and bias-incident policy. The agency announced the new policy on Monday, Jan. 12, saying it was developed over the past year as part of an effort to protect human and civil rights and ensure consistent handling of bias-related cases. The announcement followed the arrest of a Maryland woman accused of berating a man in an incident caught on camera that made the rounds online. Police said the policy formalizes standards for identifying, documenting, and …

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Virginia State Police Superintendent Matthew Hanley Retires After 32 Years Virginia State Police Superintendent Matthew Hanley Retires After 32 Years Virginia State Police Superintendent Matthew Hanley Retires After 32 Years
Virginia State Police Superintendent Matthew Hanley Retires After 32 Years After more than three decades in law enforcement, Virginia State Police Superintendent Colonel Matthew D. Hanley is stepping away from the badge. Hanley announced his retirement after 32 years of service, calling it “an honor to serve this great Commonwealth,” in a statement released from Richmond. “It has been an honor to serve this great Commonwealth as a longstanding member of the Virginia State Police,” Hanley said.  “I am proud of the incredible work the agency has accomplished and am grateful for the commitment that our sworn and professional staff provide daily. Virginia is in …

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by Zak Failla
Elkridge, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Man Killed, 3 Hurt After Violent Early-Morning I-95 Crash Snarls Commute In Elkridge Maryland Man Killed, 3 Hurt After Violent Early-Morning I-95 Crash Snarls Commute In Elkridge Maryland Man Killed, 3 Hurt After Violent Early-Morning I-95 Crash Snarls Commute In Elkridge
Maryland Man Killed, 3 Hurt After Violent Early-Morning I-95 Crash Snarls Commute In Elkridge A Maryland man was killed, and three others were injured after a violent early-morning crash involving a refuse truck and tractor-trailer on I-95, which tied up the morning commute in Howard County. State police troopers were called shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, to a stretch of the southbound lanes of the interstate near Route 100 in Elkridge, where there was a fatal crash that led to lengthy lane closures. UPDATE - 9:05 a.m. Howard Co.: Two lanes now get by southbound I-95 prior to MD 100. All lanes open on northbound I-95. #MDtraffic cg — MD State Highway Adm (@MDSHA) Jan…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Police Seek Red Chevy Equinox After Deadly I-695 Hit-Run Crash In Baltimore County Police Seek Red Chevy Equinox After Deadly I-695 Hit-Run Crash In Baltimore County Police Seek Red Chevy Equinox After Deadly I-695 Hit-Run Crash In Baltimore County
Police Seek Red Chevy Equinox After Deadly I-695 Hit-Run Crash In Baltimore County Maryland State Police are asking for the public’s help to track down a red Chevy Equinox believed to be involved in a deadly hit-and-run on I-695 in Baltimore County that killed a 30-year-old Virginia man early Sunday morning, investigators said. Ahmed Waqus Qayun Kahn was killed after being struck by a driver who swerved onto the shoulder of I-695 and fled the scene, state police said. The deadly hit-and-run happened shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 11, along the outer loop of I-695 between Providence Road and Delaney Valley Road, according to Maryland State Police. Khan was pronounced de…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Man Who Murdered Sleeping Wife 'Gave Family A Life Sentence,' Prosecutor Says Waldorf Man Who Murdered Sleeping Wife 'Gave Family A Life Sentence,' Prosecutor Says Waldorf Man Who Murdered Sleeping Wife 'Gave Family A Life Sentence,' Prosecutor Says
Waldorf Man Who Murdered Sleeping Wife 'Gave Family A Life Sentence,' Prosecutor Says The man who directed detectives to the home where he killed his wife will spend the rest of his life calling a Maryland prison home. Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, has been sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 15 years in connection with the 2022 murder of his wife, Shawnda Nicole Wood, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Jan. 12. On Dec. 9, 2022, Wood and his cousin walked into the Charles County Sheriff's Office in Waldorf to request a welfare check at their home. Prosecutors said that Wood told an investigator that he had been suicidal the nig…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Obituaries
Virginia Man Killed After Being Struck By Four Hit-Run Drivers Was 'Loving Father To Two' Virginia Man Killed After Being Struck By Four Hit-Run Drivers Was 'Loving Father To Two' Virginia Man Killed After Being Struck By Four Hit-Run Drivers Was 'Loving Father To Two'
Virginia Man Killed After Being Struck By Four Hit-Run Drivers Was 'Loving Father To Two' Demarko Shamsiddin is being remembered as a loving father and family member after he was struck by multiple hit-and-run drivers and killed in Virginia.  Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department were called shortly after 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to the intersection of Richmond Highway and Mount Eagle Drive in Huntington, where there were reports of a pedestrian "acting erratically" who had been struck by at least four vehicles. According to police, the 34-year-old Shamsiddin was in the middle of the highway north of Mount Eagle Drive when he was struck. Detectives say …

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by Zak Failla
Crofton, MD
Your Community
Quick-Thinking Kids Dodge Possible Abduction After Stranger Offers Ride To School In Crofton Quick-Thinking Kids Dodge Possible Abduction After Stranger Offers Ride To School In Crofton Quick-Thinking Kids Dodge Possible Abduction After Stranger Offers Ride To School In Crofton
Quick-Thinking Kids Dodge Possible Abduction After Stranger Offers Ride To School In Crofton Some quick-thinking kids were able to avoid a possible abduction on Monday morning when a stranger approached them and offered a ride to school in Maryland. Police in Anne Arundel County are investigating a possible child luring incident after the man approached students waiting for a school bus near Crofton Elementary, authorities said. Officers were called around 10:30 a.m. to Crofton Elementary School on Jan. 12, where there were reports of suspicious activity near the building, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Police said the incident occurred earlier that mornin…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Stafford Man Killed After Car Slams Into Tree In Overnight Single-Vehicle Crash Stafford Man Killed After Car Slams Into Tree In Overnight Single-Vehicle Crash Stafford Man Killed After Car Slams Into Tree In Overnight Single-Vehicle Crash
Stafford Man Killed After Car Slams Into Tree In Overnight Single-Vehicle Crash Police in Virginia have identified a man who was killed in a single-vehicle crash overnight after slamming into a tree.  Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash that claimed the life of Stafford resident Jeremy Regis, 49, who was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders on Sunday night, according to the sheriff's office. Shortly after 9 p.m. on Jan. 11, deputies were called to Dunbar Drive, near the intersection of Rock Hill Church Road, where a vehicle left the roadway and came to rest after striking a tree. Regis, the only person inside the vehicle at the time of the c…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Human Remains Found In Manassas Woods, Death Investigation Launched (DEVELOPING) Human Remains Found In Manassas Woods, Death Investigation Launched (DEVELOPING) Human Remains Found In Manassas Woods, Death Investigation Launched (DEVELOPING)
Human Remains Found In Manassas Woods, Death Investigation Launched (Developing) A death investigation has been launched in Virginia after a 58-year-old man's body was found in a wooded area in Manassas. Officers from the Prince William County Police Department responded to a stretch of the 8200 block of Sudley Road on Sunday night, where they were called to probe reports of a body that was located by a passerby. According to police, first responders found a 58-year-old man in a wooded area, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. "Preliminarily, there were no signs of foul play concerning the death," investigators said. More information regarding the death investiga…

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by Zak Failla
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