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

Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Man Sprints Between School Bus, Sedan Before Fatal Tesla Strike In DC: MPD Silver Spring Man Sprints Between School Bus, Sedan Before Fatal Tesla Strike In DC: MPD Silver Spring Man Sprints Between School Bus, Sedan Before Fatal Tesla Strike In DC: MPD
Silver Spring Man Sprints Between School Bus, Sedan Before Fatal Tesla Strike In DC: MPD A split-second dash through traffic turned deadly for a Maryland man. Bernard Massey, 56, of Silver Spring, died on Tuesday, Sept. 8, five days after he was struck by a Tesla on Georgia Avenue in Northwest DC, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, in the 7700 block of Georgia Avenue NW. What happened next was anything but a routine pedestrian crash. Investigators say Massey had been standing on the east sidewalk before suddenly running into the roadway midblock, outside a crosswalk. He didn't have a clear path acros…

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by Zak Failla
Randallstown, MD
Obituaries
Baltimore Wrestler Maleek Ayonrinde Remembered For Faith, Joy After Drowning At 21 Baltimore Wrestler Maleek Ayonrinde Remembered For Faith, Joy After Drowning At 21 Baltimore Wrestler Maleek Ayonrinde Remembered For Faith, Joy After Drowning At 21
Baltimore Wrestler Maleek Ayonrinde Remembered For Faith, Joy After Drowning At 21 Maleek Ayonrinde was still figuring out where wrestling, college and a newfound commitment to his faith might take him. The 21-year-old Maryland native had already gone from the mats at New Town High School to competing at the college level, reaching the NJCAA national championships before eventually attending Bluefield State University in West Virginia. His life was cut short on Saturday, Sept. 5, when he drowned during a school-sanctioned outing to Brush Creek Falls. Ayonrinde was there with a group of students that included his friend Kairyn Riley, whose mother later described the despe…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Plane Makes Controlled Landing Without Working Nose Gear At Montgomery Airpark Plane Makes Controlled Landing Without Working Nose Gear At Montgomery Airpark Plane Makes Controlled Landing Without Working Nose Gear At Montgomery Airpark
Plane Makes Controlled Landing Without Working Nose Gear At Montgomery Airpark Another close call has reignited a fight over safety at a Maryland airport. Montgomery County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke is calling for federal regulators to take a harder look at a flight school operating out of Montgomery County Airpark following the latest emergency there. The demand came after a twin-engine plane was forced to land without its nose gear on Monday, Sept. 7, after the landing gear failed to deploy. The pilot circled the Gaithersburg airpark, burned fuel and made several practice approaches before safely bringing the plane down. Neither person aboard was injured. For Lue…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Your Community
Virginia Family Loses Home To Falling Tree As Little League Community Steps Up Virginia Family Loses Home To Falling Tree As Little League Community Steps Up Virginia Family Loses Home To Falling Tree As Little League Community Steps Up
Virginia Family Loses Home To Falling Tree As Little League Community Steps Up One Virginia family came out of the latest round of storms without a home. A massive tree came crashing down on the Clark family's house in the Riverheads area, destroying the home and forcing the family to find somewhere else to stay. The damage left them facing the loss of their house and many of their belongings, according to Megan Jeffers, who has since organized a fundraiser to help them get back on their feet. But the Clarks aren't facing it alone. Their son plays flag football, and their daughter plays softball for Riverheads Little League, where the family has become part of a you…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Gun Scare Triggers Lockdown At Virginia Middle School: What Parents Should Know Gun Scare Triggers Lockdown At Virginia Middle School: What Parents Should Know Gun Scare Triggers Lockdown At Virginia Middle School: What Parents Should Know
Gun Scare Triggers Lockdown At Virginia Middle School: What Parents Should Know A confrontation between two drivers put a Virginia middle school on alert. The trouble began around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, near Fox Chase Boulevard in Stafford County, where investigators say one driver followed another before allegedly brandishing a firearm. The encounter happened close enough to Edward E. Drew Middle School that administrators placed the school on a partial lockdown while deputies searched the surrounding area. The incident had nothing to do with the school, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office later confirmed, and the lockdown was lifted shortly afterward. By th…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Manassas Gunfight Between 3 Men Leaves Innocent 16-Year-Old Girl Dead: Police Manassas Gunfight Between 3 Men Leaves Innocent 16-Year-Old Girl Dead: Police Manassas Gunfight Between 3 Men Leaves Innocent 16-Year-Old Girl Dead: Police
Manassas Gunfight Between 3 Men Leaves Innocent 16-Year-Old Girl Dead: Police An innocent teenager was caught in somebody else’s gunfight. The 16-year-old girl was killed after gunfire erupted near the 9400 block of West Street in Manassas at approximately 9:28 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, during the city's First Friday festivities, according to police. Now investigators say they have pieced together what led to the deadly exchange, and three men accused of opening fire are behind bars. Xavier Wanzer, 19, approached and confronted 21-year-old Tasheem Douglas that night, police said in an update released on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The two already had what investigators desc…

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by Zak Failla
Middle River, MD
Breaking News
Odenton Woman, 21, Dies Days After Being Shot By Baltimore County Police Officer: AG Odenton Woman, 21, Dies Days After Being Shot By Baltimore County Police Officer: AG Odenton Woman, 21, Dies Days After Being Shot By Baltimore County Police Officer: AG
Odenton Woman, 21, Dies Days After Being Shot By Baltimore County Police Officer: AG The Maryland woman shot by police during an early-morning encounter last week has died. Sadie Holman, 21, of Odenton, was identified on Wednesday, Sept. 9, as the woman who was shot by a Baltimore County Police officer shortly after 6 a.m. on Thursday in the 1000 block of Carroll Island Road in Middle River. The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division also identified the officer who fired as Cpl. James Haddix, an eight-year veteran assigned to the department's Operations Bureau. Police had been called to the area that morning to find Holman in connection with an ass…

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by Zak Failla
Centreville, VA
Breaking News
Husband, Wife Found Shot Dead In Centreville Home With Children Inside: Police Husband, Wife Found Shot Dead In Centreville Home With Children Inside: Police Husband, Wife Found Shot Dead In Centreville Home With Children Inside: Police
Husband, Wife Found Shot Dead In Centreville Home With Children Inside: Police New details have been released after a husband and wife were found dead in their Northern Virginia home. Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department worked through the night to investigate the fatal double shooting in Centreville. First responders were called around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when a family member advised there had been a shooting in their home in the 6300 block of Sharps Drive, according to PFC Ingrid Palencia. Officers are on scene of a death investigation in the 6300 block of Sharps Dr in Centreville. An adult male & an adult female were found decease…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore County Teen Dies More Than A Week After Being Struck By Audi While Riding Bike: PD Baltimore County Teen Dies More Than A Week After Being Struck By Audi While Riding Bike: PD Baltimore County Teen Dies More Than A Week After Being Struck By Audi While Riding Bike: PD
Baltimore County Teen Dies More Than A Week After Being Struck By Audi While Riding Bike: PD A teenager who was struck by an Audi while riding his bike in Maryland has died more than a week after being hit, police say. Caden Morgan, 13, was involved in a crash on Friday, Aug. 28, at the intersection of Essex Road and Yataruba Drive in Lochearn when he was struck by the driver, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. The boy died on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Investigators say the teen was riding a bicycle on Yataruba Drive toward Essex Road when he entered the intersection and was struck by a 2017 Audi traveling northbound on Essex Road. The driver remained at the s…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
$19K On Paper, $142K To Feds: Plywood Shipment From China Seized At Maryland Port $19K On Paper, $142K To Feds: Plywood Shipment From China Seized At Maryland Port $19K On Paper, $142K To Feds: Plywood Shipment From China Seized At Maryland Port
$19K On Paper, $142K To Feds: Plywood Shipment From China Seized At Maryland Port This wasn't your average stack of plywood. More than 8,500 sheets seized in Baltimore on Thursday, Aug. 27, were secretly imported from China using a stolen identity and doctored paperwork to dodge duties, according to US Customs and Border Protection. The shipment, valued by CBP at $142,372, first caught the attention of officers on July 9. On paper, there wasn't much to see. The importer claimed the falcata plywood came from Indonesia, valued the shipment at nearly $19,000, and listed an address near Denver as its destination. Officers detained it for a closer look, and the story behin…

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by Zak Failla
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