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

Tysons, VA
Breaking News
Fair Oaks Pokémon Heist: California Man Admits To Stealing Rare Cards During Home Burglary Fair Oaks Pokémon Heist: California Man Admits To Stealing Rare Cards During Home Burglary Fair Oaks Pokémon Heist: California Man Admits To Stealing Rare Cards During Home Burglary
Fair Oaks Pokémon Heist: California Man Admits To Stealing Rare Cards During Home Burglary A California man who was arrested in Virginia after a brazen theft of rare Pokémon cards has copped to the crime, according to officials. Mohammad Asif, 36, pleaded guilty this week to two counts of grand larceny in connection with a July heist in Fairfax County when he robbed a woman at gunpoint and made off with the cards, officials said. It all started around 9:07 a.m. on July 23, when a woman was walking in the garage on Westwood Center Drive and was approached by a masked suspect holding a rifle. The suspect grabbed her and stole her phone, police said. She managed to escape, and the …

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Driver Airlifted After Being T-Boned By Pickup Truck In Charlotte Hall, Sheriff Says Driver Airlifted After Being T-Boned By Pickup Truck In Charlotte Hall, Sheriff Says Driver Airlifted After Being T-Boned By Pickup Truck In Charlotte Hall, Sheriff Says
Driver Airlifted After Being T-Boned By Pickup Truck In Charlotte Hall, Sheriff Says A Maryland driver was airlifted to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries after being T-boned by a pickup truck on Wednesday morning, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called shortly before 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 10 to the intersection of Three Notch Road and Charlotte Hall School Road in Charlotte Hall to investigate a reported crash trapped with serious injuries in a Hyundai Tucson, officials said. It was determined that a the gray Hyundai was heading north on Three Notch Road and tried to turn left onto Charlotte Hall School Road when it failed to yiel…

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by Zak Failla
Laurel, MD
Breaking News
Laurel Woman Loses Everything In Arson Fire As Community Rallies To Rebuild Her Life Laurel Woman Loses Everything In Arson Fire As Community Rallies To Rebuild Her Life Laurel Woman Loses Everything In Arson Fire As Community Rallies To Rebuild Her Life
Laurel Woman Loses Everything In Arson Fire As Community Rallies To Rebuild Her Life Mayra Rivera lost it all overnight — her home, her belongings, her sense of safety — when a man allegedly set fire to her building.  Now, her community is rallying to raise her up again. Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, an intentionally set fire swept through the apartment building where Rivera lived.  The suspect — Floyd Rich V — was arrested by the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, according to fire officials.  He now faces charges including first-degree arson, malicious destruction of property, and reckless endangerment. One occupant was rushed …

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Mechanicsville Arson Suspect Seen Running From Flames, Yelling About Fire In His Yard: Marshal Mechanicsville Arson Suspect Seen Running From Flames, Yelling About Fire In His Yard: Marshal Mechanicsville Arson Suspect Seen Running From Flames, Yelling About Fire In His Yard: Marshal
Mechanicsville Arson Suspect Seen Running From Flames, Yelling About Fire In His Yard: Marshal A Maryland man accused of setting a string of fires in St. Mary’s County didn’t just spark the flames — officials say he practically led investigators right to him. Deputy State Fire Marshals say Jeffrey Allen Wathen, 41, of Mechanicsville, was charged after a series of intentionally set fires broke out Tuesday, Dec. 9, along the 26400 block of Three Notch Road. The Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department responded around 9 p.m. to reports of multiple fires, including a flower bed, a shed, a deck, and an exterior area behind another nearby property, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal. Fire…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Lexington Park Woman Shot After Pointing Gun At Deputies During Chase, Sheriff Says Lexington Park Woman Shot After Pointing Gun At Deputies During Chase, Sheriff Says Lexington Park Woman Shot After Pointing Gun At Deputies During Chase, Sheriff Says
Lexington Park Woman Shot After Pointing Gun At Deputies During Chase, Sheriff Says A welfare check in Maryland turned into a tense and dangerous confrontation after a woman allegedly pointed a gun at deputies before being shot.  Lexington Park resident Paige Taylor Hartness, 34, is behind bars following an investigation into an officer-involved shooting in late October that rapidly escalated, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say that while conducting the welfare check, deputies were advised that Hartness had just left a home in the area with the caller's gun. Hartness was located in a vehicle at the MedStar Health facility on E…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Baltimore Lands Pete Alonso In $155M Blockbuster As Mets Lose Another Superstar Baltimore Lands Pete Alonso In $155M Blockbuster As Mets Lose Another Superstar Baltimore Lands Pete Alonso In $155M Blockbuster As Mets Lose Another Superstar
Baltimore Lands Pete Alonso In $155M Blockbuster As Mets Lose Another Superstar The Baltimore Orioles got their slugger, and the New York Mets suffered another massive blow as superstar Pete Alonso announced his deal. There were cheers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Wednesday afternoon, when news leaked out that "Pistol Pete" had agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract pending a physical. Up in New York, there were only more jeers as they lost another hometown hero days after star closer Edwin Diaz took his talents out west to join the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. According to The Athletic, the Mets did not make an offer to Alonso after he agreed to…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
On Your Side
Virginia Minimum Wage Rising In 2026: Here’s The New Rate And When It Takes Effect Virginia Minimum Wage Rising In 2026: Here’s The New Rate And When It Takes Effect Virginia Minimum Wage Rising In 2026: Here’s The New Rate And When It Takes Effect
Virginia Minimum Wage Rising In 2026: Here’s The New Rate And When It Takes Effect Virginia workers can expect a slightly bigger paycheck in the new year, with the state’s minimum wage set to rise again in 2026. The state’s hourly minimum wage will increase to $12.77 starting Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, giving workers an extra 29 cents per hour.  “Virginia’s Minimum Wage Act allows for gradual adjustment of the minimum wage rate in response to economic conditions.” Virginia Department of Labor Commissioner Gary Pan said. “The new minimum wage will ensure the Commonwealth remains the leading destination for businesses and job seekers alike.” The new rate was calculated u…

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by Zak Failla
Glen Burnie, MD
Breaking News
Glen Burnie Man Used Hidden Cameras To Film Underage Family Member, Sheriff Says Glen Burnie Man Used Hidden Cameras To Film Underage Family Member, Sheriff Says Glen Burnie Man Used Hidden Cameras To Film Underage Family Member, Sheriff Says
Glen Burnie Man Used Hidden Cameras To Film Underage Family Member, Sheriff Says A Peeping Tom who used hidden cameras to illegally film an underage family member undressing in Maryland has been tracked down. Glen Burnie resident Joseph Glenn Kolbe Jr. is facing more than two dozen charges following an investigation into his "surreptitious recording of an underage family member in various states of undress," according to the Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Office. An investigation was first launched on Friday, Dec. 5, when the sheriff's office was advised by the Anne Arundel County Police Department that a new warrant had been issued for Kolbe's arrest after his videos we…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Prosecutors Detail Insider Trading Scheme With Georgetown Link: ‘We Can Get A Tesla’ DC Prosecutors Detail Insider Trading Scheme With Georgetown Link: ‘We Can Get A Tesla’ DC Prosecutors Detail Insider Trading Scheme With Georgetown Link: ‘We Can Get A Tesla’
DC Prosecutors Detail Insider Trading Scheme With Georgetown Link: ‘We Can Get A Tesla’ A securities fraud case with major DC connections is unfolding after an Indiana couple was charged in Washington for allegedly leaking insider information tied to a $3.7 billion corporate acquisition, federal prosecutors said. Fan Yang, 39, and Jing Tian, 37, both of Indianapolis, were arrested Tuesday, Dec. 9, in an indictment filed in Washington, DC, the US Attorney’s Office announced. Yang — also known as “Jocelyn Yang” — and Tian each face charges that include conspiracy to commit securities fraud, officials said.  According to prosecutors, Yang was a finance executive at the…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
On Your Side
‘A Literal Dumpster Fire’: Blaze Shuts Down Micky’s Joint As Baltimore Rushes In To Help ‘A Literal Dumpster Fire’: Blaze Shuts Down Micky’s Joint As Baltimore Rushes In To Help ‘A Literal Dumpster Fire’: Blaze Shuts Down Micky’s Joint As Baltimore Rushes In To Help
‘A Literal Dumpster Fire’: Blaze Shuts Down Micky’s Joint As Baltimore Rushes In To Help A literal dumpster fire tore through Micky’s Joint in Hamilton-Lauraville — and now the community that bar has poured so much into is pouring right back. A beloved Baltimore bar and neighborhood hangout is closed indefinitely after flames spread from a dumpster and tore through the building, leaving behind a charred structure late on Thursday, Dec. 4.  “The ceiling was raining, muck everywhere, cold, no lights, and it was late,” the bar posted after the fire. They said a passerby named Damon spotted the flames, called 911, and alerted the neighboring businesses.  Staff got everyone out saf…

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by Zak Failla
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