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

Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Puppy Heist: Armed Thieves Steal French Bulldogs During DC Home Invasion Puppy Heist: Armed Thieves Steal French Bulldogs During DC Home Invasion Puppy Heist: Armed Thieves Steal French Bulldogs During DC Home Invasion
Puppy Heist: Armed Thieves Steal French Bulldogs During DC Home Invasion Three French bulldog puppies were stolen at gunpoint during a violent home invasion in Northeast DC, police said. Officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE on Sunday, Dec. 14, at approximately 7:00 p.m., after receiving a report of a burglary, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Investigators said the suspects forcibly entered the apartment, brandished firearms, and demanded property from the victims inside. Police said the suspects fled the scene after stealing three French bulldog puppies. The Metropolitan Police Department released photos of th…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Wine Thief Vanishes Overseas After Alleged Heist At Beloved Inn: Sheriff (WATCH) Virginia Wine Thief Vanishes Overseas After Alleged Heist At Beloved Inn: Sheriff (WATCH) Virginia Wine Thief Vanishes Overseas After Alleged Heist At Beloved Inn: Sheriff (WATCH)
Virginia Wine Thief Vanishes Overseas After Alleged Heist At Beloved Inn: Sheriff (Watch) A wine theft at a beloved Virginia inn led to an international escape, authorities say. Nikola Krndija, 57, is wanted after an alleged heist at a popular Clarke County locale, one day before he fled the country, according to the sheriff's office. Three felony warrants were issued for the Serbian national, who is accused of stealing from L’Auberge Provencal in November.  He then fled the country.  "Earlier this week, L’Auberge Provençale was the target of a carefully planned and rehearsed theft involving some of the rarest wines in the world—bottles of Domaine de la Rom…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
“I Love You, Drunk Raccoon”: Virginia’s Liquor Store Menace Steals Stephen Colbert’s Monologue “I Love You, Drunk Raccoon”: Virginia’s Liquor Store Menace Steals Stephen Colbert’s Monologue “I Love You, Drunk Raccoon”: Virginia’s Liquor Store Menace Steals Stephen Colbert’s Monologue
“I Love You, Drunk Raccoon”: Virginia’s Liquor Store Menace Steals Stephen Colbert’s Monologue Stephen Colbert said what we were all thinking. "I love you, drunk raccoon."  The viral rodent who went on a bender in a Virginia liquor store before conking out under the toilet was a talking point during Colbert's monologue on Monday, Dec. 15, as he mused about the raccoon's exploits in an area strip mall. President Trump kicked off his holiday celebrations with a speech about Peruvian vipers and the announcement of his latest building project, Miriam-Webster declared "slop" the word of the year, and Stephen checks in on a hard-partying furry friend. The Late Show with Step…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal
Hagerstown Man Hospitalized After Smoking While On Oxygen Triggers Blaze: Fire Marshal A Hagerstown man was hospitalized with serious burn injuries after a bedroom fire broke out as he was smoking while on oxygen, state fire officials said. The fire happened shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, in a row home in the 1300 block of Jay Drive in Washington County, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Investigators said the resident, identified as Timothy Fisher, sustained burns after a fire ignited in a second-floor front bedroom, authorities said. The fire was discovered by the occupant and was already out when firefighters arrived, officials said. It took just six…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest
Former Virginia Corrections Boss Sentenced For Helping Fugitive Boyfriend Evade Arrest A former top corrections official who abused her power to help a fugitive boyfriend evade arrest has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison, federal prosecutors announced. Jennifer Peters, 43, of Madison Heights, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for illegally accessing protected law enforcement databases, lying to investigators, and destroying evidence, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Peters, who served as acting director of the Lynchburg Community Corrections and Pretrial Services Department, previously pleaded guilty to one count each of: Obs…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds
Convicted Murder Suspect Avoids Life For Robbery Spree In Waldorf, Virginia: Feds A Maryland man who once faced the possibility of life in prison for a violent robbery and carjacking spree that crossed state lines has now been sentenced. Thaddeus Lamont Wills, 52, of Waldorf, was sentenced to 55 years in federal prison for his role in a string of armed robberies that ended with the murder of a business owner, federal prosecutors announced on Friday, Dec. 12. The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Baltimore, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Wills was previously convicted by a federal jury following a nin…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds
Predator Admits To Using Social Media After Leaving Veterans Center, Joining Incest Group: Feds A Virginia man admitted in federal court that he possessed child porn after sending disturbing videos to an undercover FBI officer on social media, prosecutors announced. Christopher Allan Johnson, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child sexual exploitation materials involving a prepubescent minor, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia. According to court documents, Johnson used the Kik social media app on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, after leaving the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, where he logged into the platform and joined a public…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Your Community
Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ
Baby Vanishes Into Russia: Alexandria Woman Convicted Of International Kidnapping: DOJ A Russian national who lived in Alexandria was convicted by a federal jury of international parental kidnapping after secretly taking her newborn daughter out of the country and arranging for the child to be moved beyond US reach, prosecutors announced. Elena Pendergrass, also known as Elena Stukalkina, 35, was found guilty in US District Court in Alexandria, following a trial in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Federal prosecutors said Pendergrass was living in Alexandria before giving birth to her daughter on May 21, when a DNA test had already conf…

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by Zak Failla
Clifton-Fairfax Station, VA
Breaking News
Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police
Fairfax DUI Arrest Takes Dark Turn After Man Fell Ill At Jail And Died At Hospital: Police A 66-year-old man died after suffering a medical emergency while in custody following a DUI arrest that began with a single-vehicle crash in Virginia, police said. Shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, officers responded to the Shell gas station in the 11200 block of Fairfax Boulevard in the City of Fairfax for a report of a crash involving one vehicle, according to the City of Fairfax Police Department. Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and evaluated the driver, but the man refused further medical treatment at the scene, police said.  Preliminary information indicated the driver w…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ
Maryland Prison Supervisor Convicted Of Covering Up Inmate Assault, Lying To Feds: DOJ A former correctional supervisor was convicted after a federal jury found he helped cover up evidence of an inmate assault and then lied to investigators, prosecutors announced in Maryland. Jermaine Sturgis, 41, of Laurel, Delaware, was found guilty after a five-day trial of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer, Baltimore, Monday, Dec. 15, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Sturgis previously served as a lieutenant correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, where prosecutors said he played a key role in hiding evi…

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by Zak Failla
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