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

Adelphi-Langley Park, MD

On Your Side

Ledo Pizza Co-Founder, Former President Thelma W. Beall Dies At 101 A founding force behind one of Maryland’s most recognizable pizza brands has died at 101. Thelma W. Beall, the former president and co-founder of Ledo Pizza, died of natural causes at Anne Arundel Medical Center, her family confirmed. Beall helped launch Ledo Pizza in 1955 alongside her husband, Bob Beall, opening the original restaurant in Adelphi, according to the company. In the early days, she worked as a server and hostess while helping build what would become a staple for local families, University of Maryland students, and sports fans. “It is with deep sadness that we announce th…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Gaithersburg, MD

Obituaries

Recent High School Grad Juggling Two Jobs Killed At 18 In Gaithersburg: 'Taken Far Too Soon' Taeyon Prather was just 18 years old, newly graduated from high school, and working two jobs in Maryland while planning for his future when his life was cut short. Prather was found dead in a parking lot in Gaithersburg on Friday, and police quickly launched a homicide investigation after determining he had been killed, authorities said. Officers responded to reports of an unresponsive person in a parking lot in the area of Lost Knife Road and Montgomery Village Avenue shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2. Prather was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators later confirmed the …

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

La Plata, MD

Breaking News

Good Boy Saves The Day: Dog Alerts Family To Fast-Moving La Plata House Fire A family dog is being credited with saving lives after a fast-moving house fire broke out in Maryland, fire officials said. The blaze was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at a single-story home in the 300 block of Forest Edge Avenue in La Plata, according to the state fire marshal. Investigators said the fire was first discovered after the family dog alerted one of the occupants inside the home, giving residents time to escape before flames spread. Crews from the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department arrived to find fire showing from the garage of the wood-frame home, offi…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Frederick, MD

Breaking News

$100K+ Drug Bust Near Oakdale High School Ends With Dealer Behind Bars: Police More than $100,000 worth of drugs are off the street after a massive bust not far from a Maryland high school, authorities announced. Ijamsville resident Glenn Aaron Wells, also known as "G," is being held behind bars after investigators from the Frederick Police Department seized a veritable pharmacy from a home within 1,000 feet of Oakdale High School. In October 2025, police say that an extensive investigation was launched, which determined that Wells was allegedly involved in the illegal distribution of multiple controlled dangerous substances (CDS), including cocaine and cra…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Hagerstown, MD

Breaking News

Hagerstown Sex Offender Caught Traveling To VA To Meet Teen For Sex At Taco Bell Sentenced A Maryland man who traveled across state lines to meet with someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy at a Virginia fast-food joint was left empty-handed and in handcuffs. Now, he's heading to prison. Hagerstown resident Johnny Daniel Duran, 47, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after preying on minors on social media and planning to meet one for sex in Loudoun County, federal authorities announced. According to court documents, on April 23, 2025, Duran — who was required to register as a sex offender for distribution of child pornography — used a social media messaging app to …

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Triangle-Dumfries, VA

Breaking News

Prince William County Cop Hospitalized After Suspect Bites Him During Dumfries Arrest: Police An officer in Virginia was hospitalized after being bitten while trying to arrest a wanted man who turned violent inside a business, police said. Officers were called shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, when Millyard Nega Marufe, 35, who was "a known wanted individual," walked into a business while under the influence, according to the Prince William County Police Department. When officers attempted to detain Marufe, he became combative, striking one officer in the face and biting another officer on the forearm, police said. The officer who was bitten had to be taken to the hosp…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Parkville-Carney, MD

Breaking News

4-Year-Old Child Pulled From Parkville Townhome Fire Dies At Hospital, Man Critical (Updated) A 4-year-old child died after firefighters rushed into a smoke-filled Maryland townhome late Tuesday night to rescue two people trapped inside, officials confirmed. Crews were dispatched to a townhome in the 100 block of Comet Court in Parkville around 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, after reports of a house fire, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the first floor and were told two occupants were still inside the townhome. Crews immediately began a search and located an adult and a child on the second floor, both in card…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Sterling, VA

Breaking News

Maryland Man Who Ran Car Theft Ring Out Of Reagan, BWI Airport Parking Lots Sentenced: Feds A Maryland man who treated airport parking lots like his own dealership — even after getting arrested and tossed in jail — before federal prosecutors shut him down. Tyrese McKinnon, 25, of Temple Hills, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison after conspiring to steal vehicles from parking facilities at Ronald Reagan National Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, court records show. Prosecutors said McKinnon and a co-conspirator hit the airport lots at least six times between Jan. 4, 2023, and April 5, 2024, stealing vehicles and hauling them…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Frederick, MD

Breaking News

Frederick Teens Who Pistol-Whipped Man During Armed Robbery Charged As Adults, Sheriff Says Two Maryland teens are being charged as adults, months after a violent armed robbery, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office announced. Albert Osmany Cambara and Gerardo Isaac Cervantes, both 17, are facing a host of charges following an alleged incident that was reported in September 2025, prompting a lengthy investigation. According to the sheriff's office, on Sept. 27, 2025, deputies responded to the 5500 block of Foxhall Court for a reported armed robbery. During the investigation, deputies learned that a handgun was used in the robbery and that a victim was struck in the face with …

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

Parkville-Carney, MD

Breaking News

Young Girl, Man Pulled From Burning Parkville Townhome In Late-Night Fire Firefighters rushed into a burning Maryland townhome late Tuesday night and pulled a young girl and a man to safety, officials said, leaving both victims in critical condition. Crews were sent to the 100 block of Comet Court in Parkville around 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, for a townhouse fire with people trapped inside, the Baltimore County Fire Department said. Firefighters made entry and rescued two people from the home — a young girl and a man — before rushing them to area hospitals, fire officials said. Both victims were listed in critical condition as of Wednesday morning. The fir…

by Zak Failla

01/07/2026

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