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

Hyattsville, MD
Your Community
Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds
Maryland Murderer Sentenced To Life Freed After 20 Years, Now In ICE Custody: Feds A man once sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder in Maryland is now back behind bars — this time in federal immigration custody. ICE Baltimore announced this week that agents arrested Miseal Pena, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, after learning he had been released despite receiving a life sentence for a violent crime. According to ICE, Pena was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, crimes that stemmed from a 2007 case prosecuted in Prince George’s County. Court records show Pena was charged in connection with a vio…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges
Caught On Camera: Repeat Attacker Targets Fairfax Mosque, CAIR Calls For Hate Crime Charges A Virginia mosque was allegedly hit by a repeat attacker — and now civil rights leaders are demanding hate crime charges. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says a man accused of launching an anti-Muslim attack at the Dar Al Nur Community Center in Fairfax County should face hate crime prosecution after allegedly targeting Somali-American worshippers for the second time. This time, the whole thing was caught on camera. Muslim civil rights and advocacy group notes this is the second time same suspect has been prosecuted for allegedly targeting the mosque. CAIR - Counc…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles
Mets Turn To Jorge Polanco At First Base On $40M Deal After Pete Alonso Signs With Orioles After a slow start to the offseason, the New York Mets are beginning to ramp things up as they look to replace core players they either traded or let walk as free agents. Seattle Mariners postseason hero Jorge Polanco, 32, has agreed to a two-year deal worth a total of $40 million — pending a physical — to take over for Pete Alonso at first base after he signed his mega-deal with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week. Despite having never logged an inning in the MLB at first base, Polanco is reportedly expected to step in as the regular there, though he can slide into a designated hitter …

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by Zak Failla
Lorton, VA
Breaking News
25 Charges Later, Lorton Car Break-In Spree Finally Comes To An End: Police 25 Charges Later, Lorton Car Break-In Spree Finally Comes To An End: Police 25 Charges Later, Lorton Car Break-In Spree Finally Comes To An End: Police
25 Charges Later, Lorton Car Break-In Spree Finally Comes To An End: Police A suspected car prowler allegedly left a trail of busted vehicles across Virginia — and now he’s staring down 25 criminal charges. Dwayne Anderson, 25, is responsible for a string of vehicle break-ins and thefts that hit multiple neighborhoods in Lorton throughout the month of November. The trouble started on Nov. 1 on Franklin Woods Place, where residents reported cars being damaged and items stolen. Two weeks later, cops were back at it again on Potters Hill Circle, responding to more reports of vehicle tampering and destruction. Detectives pulled surveillance video, connected the dots, …

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Family Of 8 Displaced After $150K House Fire Spreads Through Gaithersburg Home Family Of 8 Displaced After $150K House Fire Spreads Through Gaithersburg Home Family Of 8 Displaced After $150K House Fire Spreads Through Gaithersburg Home
Family Of 8 Displaced After $150K House Fire Spreads Through Gaithersburg Home A family of eight was forced out of their home after a fast-moving house fire tore through multiple levels of a Maryland residence Friday night. Firefighters were dispatched just after 8 p.m. on Dec. 12 to the 12800 block of Tern Drive in the Gaithersburg/Darnestown area, after reports of a fire inside a home, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service officials. Crews arriving on scene found smoke pushing from the front door and quickly determined the fire had started in a basement utility closet, officials said. The flames then extended upward through pipe chases, spreading i…

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by Zak Failla
Allentown, PA
Your Community
Steelers Star T.J. Watt Out Indefinitely After Surgery For Partially Collapsed Lung Steelers Star T.J. Watt Out Indefinitely After Surgery For Partially Collapsed Lung Steelers Star T.J. Watt Out Indefinitely After Surgery For Partially Collapsed Lung
Steelers Star T.J. Watt Out Indefinitely After Surgery For Partially Collapsed Lung The Pittsburgh Steelers got the worst possible news about star pass rusher's T.J. Watt injury that knocked him out of practice this week. Watt will be out indefinitely after suffering a partially collapsed lung this week, sending him to the hospital for treatment and evaluation of his injury. Watt, 31, began suffering discomfort at the team's practice facility on Wednesday, where he was initially hospitalized as a precaution for further evaluation.  The injury was ultimately deemed serious enough that the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the Steelers are unable to pinpoint…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Virginia Figure Skating World Champion Ilia Malinin Named To Forbes '30 Under 30' List Virginia Figure Skating World Champion Ilia Malinin Named To Forbes '30 Under 30' List Virginia Figure Skating World Champion Ilia Malinin Named To Forbes '30 Under 30' List
Virginia Figure Skating World Champion Ilia Malinin Named To Forbes '30 Under 30' List Virginia figure skating legend Ilia Malinin has a new accolade to add to his trophy case. The 21-year-old Fairfax native, a back-to-back World Champion and three-time Grand Prix Final champion, parlayed a record-breaking season on the ice to a spot on Forbes' prestigious "30 Under 30" list for 2026 in the "sports" category. Forbes noted that Malinin continues to test the boundaries of figure skating during his undefeated 2024-25 season, becoming the first skater to attempt seven quadruple jumps in a single program en route to another championship. Ilia Malinin on the Ice Ilia …

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by Zak Failla
Westminster, MD
Breaking News
Westminster Teen Faces Long Road After Devastating Creek Crash: 'Stand With Seven' Westminster Teen Faces Long Road After Devastating Creek Crash: 'Stand With Seven' Westminster Teen Faces Long Road After Devastating Creek Crash: 'Stand With Seven'
Westminster Teen Faces Long Road After Devastating Creek Crash: 'Stand With Seven' A pickup truck packed with teenagers crashed, overturned, and landed in a creek — leaving 16-year-old Seven Rupp fighting for his life. The Carroll County community is now rallying around Seven and his family after the devastating crash sent him to Shock Trauma with catastrophic injuries, as loved ones pray and wait through the hardest days of their lives. The crash happened shortly after 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Westminster, when first responders were called to Jasontown Road near John Hyde Road, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators said a Ford F-250 carrying five teen…

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by Zak Failla
Havre de Grace, MD
Breaking News
Harford County Water Rescue Shifts To Recovery Mode In Susquehanna River Search (DEVELOPING) Harford County Water Rescue Shifts To Recovery Mode In Susquehanna River Search (DEVELOPING) Harford County Water Rescue Shifts To Recovery Mode In Susquehanna River Search (DEVELOPING)
Harford County Water Rescue Shifts To Recovery Mode In Susquehanna River Search (Developing) A major water rescue response unfolded along the Susquehanna River in Maryland as crews raced to save lives — and then shifted into recovery mode. Emergency responders were called to the river near the Hatem Bridge in Havre de Grace before noon on Friday, Dec. 12, after reports of people in the water, according to the Susquehanna Hose Company. Fire officials said one victim was located and transported to Christiana Trauma by Harford County Department of Emergency Services, while crews continued searching for a reported second victim. As of the latest update, divers had entered the water an…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Ex-Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore Arraigned On Home Invasion, Stalking Charges Ex-Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore Arraigned On Home Invasion, Stalking Charges Ex-Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore Arraigned On Home Invasion, Stalking Charges
Ex-Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore Arraigned On Home Invasion, Stalking Charges Days after being fired as Michigan's head football coach and detained by police, Sherrone Moore has been formally charged. After spending two nights in jail, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office announced that Moore, 39, has been hit with three charges following his arrest by Pittsfield Township Police. Specifically, court documents say that Moore was charged with: Third-degree home invasion (felony) "for allegedly unlawfully entering the victim's residence to commit the crime of stalking, and committing that crime while in the residence." Stalking (misdemeanor) "for allegedly engag…

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by Zak Failla
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