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

Brambleton, VA
Breaking News
Woman Killed, DUI Driver Charged After Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash In Brambleton: Sheriff Woman Killed, DUI Driver Charged After Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash In Brambleton: Sheriff Woman Killed, DUI Driver Charged After Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash In Brambleton: Sheriff
Woman Killed, DUI Driver Charged After Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash In Brambleton: Sheriff A 29-year-old Virginia woman was killed in a late-night DUI crash in Loudoun County, authorities announced. Brambleton resident Katherine Ovando Leal was killed in a DUI crash after Anvesh Hungenalli, 36, got behind the wheel while under the influence before the deadly accident, officials said. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, shortly before midnight on Sunday, Dec. 21, Hungenalli was driving along Olympia Drive near the intersection of Ringneck Place in Brambleton when he lost control and caused the crash. The driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Cyclist, 76, Killed While Riding Bike Along Shoulder Of Busy Silver Spring Road: PD Maryland Cyclist, 76, Killed While Riding Bike Along Shoulder Of Busy Silver Spring Road: PD Maryland Cyclist, 76, Killed While Riding Bike Along Shoulder Of Busy Silver Spring Road: PD
Maryland Cyclist, 76, Killed While Riding Bike Along Shoulder Of Busy Silver Spring Road: PD A 76-year-old man was killed after being struck while riding his bicycle along a busy roadway in Maryland, authorities announced. The fatal collision happened at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, in the 15200 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Gaithersburg, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Investigators said Robert Sheldon Boethling was riding on the right shoulder of northbound New Hampshire Avenue when a red 2012 Toyota RAV4 traveling in the same direction struck him. It remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control and strike the cyclist in the shoulder, …

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Bay District Firefighters Forced To Battle Fire Inside Their Own Southern Maryland Firehouse Bay District Firefighters Forced To Battle Fire Inside Their Own Southern Maryland Firehouse Bay District Firefighters Forced To Battle Fire Inside Their Own Southern Maryland Firehouse
Bay District Firefighters Forced To Battle Fire Inside Their Own Southern Maryland Firehouse Firefighters in Southern Maryland were forced into a situation they train for every day — battling a fire — except this time, it was inside their own firehouse. Members of the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department’s Station 9 in Lexington Park were alerted to the smell of smoke inside the station early Monday morning, triggering an immediate investigation, officials said. What they found was hard to believe. An active fire had broken out on the exterior of Tower 9, one of the department’s fire trucks, while it was parked inside the firehouse. Bay District Volunteer Fire Department Crew…

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by Zak Failla
Abingdon, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Neighbors Rush In, Save Seniors As Garage Fire Engulfs Abingdon Home Maryland Neighbors Rush In, Save Seniors As Garage Fire Engulfs Abingdon Home Maryland Neighbors Rush In, Save Seniors As Garage Fire Engulfs Abingdon Home
Maryland Neighbors Rush In, Save Seniors As Garage Fire Engulfs Abingdon Home Two seniors were pulled to safety by quick-thinking neighbors after a fast-moving garage fire erupted at their Maryland home on Saturday afternoon, officials said. The accidental house fire broke out around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, inside a two-story single-family residence in the 200 block of Suitland Place in Abingdon, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office. Investigators said neighbors first noticed light smoke coming from the home’s garage, which quickly intensified.  A neighbor and another resident rushed to the house, knocked on the door, and alerted the occupants b…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Closure In Court After Maryland Man Vanished Following Deadly Double Hagerstown Shooting Closure In Court After Maryland Man Vanished Following Deadly Double Hagerstown Shooting Closure In Court After Maryland Man Vanished Following Deadly Double Hagerstown Shooting
Closure In Court After Maryland Man Vanished Following Deadly Double Hagerstown Shooting Authorities will not have to look far to find Brian Christopher Francis following his role in a Maryland murder. Francis, 42, has been sentenced to 100 years behind bars after spending more than a month on the run following a fatal double shooting in Hagerstown, the Washington County State's Attorney's Office announced on Monday, Dec. 22. Last year, the Hagerstown Police Department announced that Francis was apprehended in Morrisville, North Carolina, and later brought back to Maryland in connection with the deadly shooting in an apartment. Also known as "Fox," or "Silk," Francis was charg…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Domestic Dispute Ends In Suicide After Armed Standoff With Deputies In Virginia, Sheriff Says Domestic Dispute Ends In Suicide After Armed Standoff With Deputies In Virginia, Sheriff Says Domestic Dispute Ends In Suicide After Armed Standoff With Deputies In Virginia, Sheriff Says
Domestic Dispute Ends In Suicide After Armed Standoff With Deputies In Virginia, Sheriff Says A domestic dispute ended in a suicide after deputies confronted an armed man in Virginia, authorities said. Deputies were called to a local fire department station in Warrenton around 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21, after a woman reported fleeing her home following a domestic argument, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. The woman told deputies her husband struck her during the argument and threatened her with a gun, prompting her to run to the fire station for safety, officials said. A deputy was then sent to the home on Gray Fox Drive in Bealeton to determine whether the ma…

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by Zak Failla
Germantown, MD
Breaking News
Church Teacher Who Sexually Abused Four Children In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate Church Teacher Who Sexually Abused Four Children In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate Church Teacher Who Sexually Abused Four Children In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate
Church Teacher Who Sexually Abused Four Children In Montgomery County Learns Prison Fate A former teacher at a Maryland church who admitted to sexually abusing minors will spend decades behind bars, authorities announced on Monday. Germantown resident Ervin Alfaro-Lopez, 34, pleaded guilty in February to one count of sex abuse of a minor and three counts of third-degree sex offense following his arrest last year. On Monday, Dec. 22, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced that Alfaro-Lopez was sentenced to 55 years in prison, with 20 years to serve. In May of 2023, a victim reported being sexually assaulted by Alfaro-Lopez when he was her teacher at…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Loudoun County Inmate Graduates With First-Of-Its-Kind High School Diploma Behind Bars Loudoun County Inmate Graduates With First-Of-Its-Kind High School Diploma Behind Bars Loudoun County Inmate Graduates With First-Of-Its-Kind High School Diploma Behind Bars
Loudoun County Inmate Graduates With First-Of-Its-Kind High School Diploma Behind Bars Graduation day came to an unexpected place in Virginia this week, as an inmate at the Adult Detention Center made history by earning a high school diploma through Loudoun County Public Schools. The milestone unfolded at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Leesburg, where officials announced that an incarcerated student became the first person ever at the facility to earn a Loudoun County high school diploma, according to the sheriff's office. The diploma was issued through Heritage High School, marking a first-of-its-kind achievement in the educational partnership between the Sheri…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Death Behind Bars: Inmate Found Dead Inside Maryland Prison, Homicide Unit Investigates Death Behind Bars: Inmate Found Dead Inside Maryland Prison, Homicide Unit Investigates Death Behind Bars: Inmate Found Dead Inside Maryland Prison, Homicide Unit Investigates
Death Behind Bars: Inmate Found Dead Inside Maryland Prison, Homicide Unit Investigates An inmate was found dead inside a maximum-security Maryland prison. State police detectives are now investigating what happened behind the walls. An investigation is underway after a state prison inmate was found dead inside the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, State Police said on Monday, Dec. 22. Jordan Polston, 32, was declared dead by emergency medical services personnel at the prison after he was found unresponsive in a cell at the maximum-security facility in Allegany County early Sunday morning, officials said. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was contacte…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Frigid River Rescue: Man Saved From Anacostia River Under Sousa Bridge In DC (WATCH) Frigid River Rescue: Man Saved From Anacostia River Under Sousa Bridge In DC (WATCH) Frigid River Rescue: Man Saved From Anacostia River Under Sousa Bridge In DC (WATCH)
Frigid River Rescue: Man Saved From Anacostia River Under Sousa Bridge In DC (Watch) New photos and video show a tense water rescue unfolding in the icy Anacostia River as DC firefighters pulled a man from the frigid water beneath the Sousa Bridge. The rescue happened during the afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 21, along the Anacostia River in Southeast DC, where DC Fire and EMS crews responded to reports of a man in the water, according to the department. “Water rescue Anacostia River beneath Sousa Bridge. Man in the water,” DC Fire and EMS said in a post. “Rescue swimmers have retrieved the victim, who will be brought to shore for medical treatment.” Update water rescue Anac…

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by Zak Failla
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