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

Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Driver Survives After Train Slams Into Car At Gaithersburg Crossing, Fire Officials Say Driver Survives After Train Slams Into Car At Gaithersburg Crossing, Fire Officials Say Driver Survives After Train Slams Into Car At Gaithersburg Crossing, Fire Officials Say
Driver Survives After Train Slams Into Car At Gaithersburg Crossing, Fire Officials Say A driver survived after their car was hit by a train in Maryland early Friday, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene. Montgomery County Fire & Rescue crews responded to the crash at Oakmont Avenue and Railroad Street in Gaithersburg, where a train struck a car but somehow didn’t end the way anyone feared. Fire officials said the occupant was “out and safe” when firefighters arrived, and crews stayed on scene to check for hazards and secure the crossing. They also used the moment to remind drivers—firmly—that trains don’t play games. “Always stop, look, and listen at railro…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Driver Going Nearly 100 MPH Killed Man On Maryland Parkway, Then Tried To Walk Home To DC: Feds Driver Going Nearly 100 MPH Killed Man On Maryland Parkway, Then Tried To Walk Home To DC: Feds Driver Going Nearly 100 MPH Killed Man On Maryland Parkway, Then Tried To Walk Home To DC: Feds
Driver Going Nearly 100 MPH Killed Man On Maryland Parkway, Then Tried To Walk Home To DC: Feds A speeding driver from DC who killed a 23-year-old man on a Maryland highway will spend years behind bars, federal authorities announced. Jordan Johnson, 28, was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in federal prison in connection with a fatal car crash on the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County in 2022. According to prosecutors, around 4:45 a.m. on March 20, 2022, Johnson was driving on the parkway when he struck two vehicles that were in the roadway — both of which had been involved in an earlier accident. One victim from the original crash was killed on impact when struck by Johnson's…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
10 Years Gone: What Happened To Katelin Akens? Spotsylvania Sheriff Renews Search Effort 10 Years Gone: What Happened To Katelin Akens? Spotsylvania Sheriff Renews Search Effort 10 Years Gone: What Happened To Katelin Akens? Spotsylvania Sheriff Renews Search Effort
10 Years Gone: What Happened To Katelin Akens? Spotsylvania Sheriff Renews Search Effort Ten years after 19-year-old Katelin Michelle Akens vanished in Virginia, investigators are once again asking the public to help bring her home. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office issued a renewed plea Friday, Dec. 5, marking a decade since Akens disappeared after she was supposed to travel from the Partlow area to Reagan National Airport for a flight back to her home in Arizona. A flight she never checked into. Two days later — Dec. 7, 2015 — her luggage was found on River Road in Spotsylvania County, the Sheriff’s Office said. She has not been seen since. The Sheriff’s Office said …

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Blaze Erupts At Leesburg Building Before Dawn, Drawing Multi-County Response Blaze Erupts At Leesburg Building Before Dawn, Drawing Multi-County Response Blaze Erupts At Leesburg Building Before Dawn, Drawing Multi-County Response
Blaze Erupts At Leesburg Building Before Dawn, Drawing Multi-County Response A massive metal building in Virginia went up in flames before dawn Saturday, sending firefighters from across two states racing to the scene. Fire crews were called shortly after 3:30 a.m. to the 13000 block of Loyalty Road in the Catoctin District in Leesburg, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. Units from Lucketts, Hamilton, Purcellville, Leesburg, Lovettsville, and Frederick County in Maryland responded after callers reported a structure fire.  When crews arrived, they found a roughly 100-by-150-foot metal building “well involved in fire,” officials said. A Tanker Task Fo…

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by Zak Failla
Ashburn, VA
On Your Side
Ashburn Baristas Join Growing Starbucks Strike Over Pay, Hours, Staffing Issues Ashburn Baristas Join Growing Starbucks Strike Over Pay, Hours, Staffing Issues Ashburn Baristas Join Growing Starbucks Strike Over Pay, Hours, Staffing Issues
Ashburn Baristas Join Growing Starbucks Strike Over Pay, Hours, Staffing Issues Virginia Starbucks workers are now part of the largest unfair labor practice strike in company history, as baristas in Ashburn and Falls Church walked off the job Thursday and joined thousands of workers nationwide calling for better pay, hours, and staffing. The growing “Red Cup Rebellion” hit day 22 on Thursday, Dec. 4, when union organizers announced that baristas from 26 new stores had joined the open-ended strike.  The walkout now includes more than 3,000 baristas at over 145 stores in more than 105 cities. Workers say they are protesting “Starbucks’ historic union busting and fai…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Speeding, Aggressive Driving Blamed In Crash That Killed Spotsylvania Man In Fredericksburg: PD Speeding, Aggressive Driving Blamed In Crash That Killed Spotsylvania Man In Fredericksburg: PD Speeding, Aggressive Driving Blamed In Crash That Killed Spotsylvania Man In Fredericksburg: PD
Speeding, Aggressive Driving Blamed In Crash That Killed Spotsylvania Man In Fredericksburg: PD A Spotsylvania man died Friday morning after police say his SUV shot across multiple lanes of traffic and crashed into a pole at a busy Virginia intersection. Police said the crash happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec 5, at Plank Road and Gateway Boulevard in Fredericksburg.  Investigators from the Fredericksburg Police Department said a black Ford SUV crossed several lanes before striking a traffic light pole. Police said the initial investigation shows “speeding and aggressive driving may have been contributing factors.” The Fredericksburg Fire Department provided immedia…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Brave Child’s Report Helps Convict Maryland Man Of Sexual Abuse, Prosecutors Say Brave Child’s Report Helps Convict Maryland Man Of Sexual Abuse, Prosecutors Say Brave Child’s Report Helps Convict Maryland Man Of Sexual Abuse, Prosecutors Say
Brave Child’s Report Helps Convict Maryland Man Of Sexual Abuse, Prosecutors Say A Maryland man is facing a long prison term after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a child in his own household, according to the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office. Derrick Henderson, 51, of Delmar, was convicted this week after a two-day trial in Salisbury, authorities announced late on Friday, Dec. 5.  Specifically, Henderson was found guilty of: Two counts of sexual abuse of a minor; Attempted second-degree rape; Attempted sexual offense; Sexual solicitation of a minor. Prosecutors said the abuse happened in 2024 inside Henderson’s home. No additional details…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Girl Touched, Propositioned Inside Charlotte Hall Food Lion As Deputies Hunt Suspect: Sheriff Girl Touched, Propositioned Inside Charlotte Hall Food Lion As Deputies Hunt Suspect: Sheriff Girl Touched, Propositioned Inside Charlotte Hall Food Lion As Deputies Hunt Suspect: Sheriff
Girl Touched, Propositioned Inside Charlotte Hall Food Lion As Deputies Hunt Suspect: Sheriff A man is wanted in Southern Maryland after deputies say he walked up to a young girl inside a Food Lion, touched her inappropriately, and then propositioned her in a disturbing encounter that has parents on alert. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said the assault happened at Food Lion in Charlotte Hall on Monday, Dec. 1.  According to the agency, deputies said a white man in his mid-50s approached a young girl inside the store, touched her inappropriately, and then “also propositioned her."   The girl “was able to walk away … with no further interaction,” the sheriff’s…

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by Zak Failla
Lorton, VA
Breaking News
Private Tennis Coach In Fairfax County Took 'Indecent Liberties' With Minor, Police Say Private Tennis Coach In Fairfax County Took 'Indecent Liberties' With Minor, Police Say Private Tennis Coach In Fairfax County Took 'Indecent Liberties' With Minor, Police Say
Private Tennis Coach In Fairfax County Took 'Indecent Liberties' With Minor, Police Say A private tennis coach in Virginia is accused of having unlawful and inappropriate contact with a girl he trained when she was underage, according to county police. Detectives with Fairfax County’s Child Abuse Squad arrested Tony Adams, 62, of Lorton, after the victim reported a sex offense to officers at the West Springfield District Station late last month, according to Fairfax County Police on Friday, Dec. 5. Police said the victim told investigators she “was subjected to inappropriate conduct by a 62-year-old man when she was a minor.”  Detectives determined that Adams "engaged in…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
On Your Side
Kitten Causes Cat-Astrophic Flood At Virginia Café, Forcing Months-Long Shutdown Kitten Causes Cat-Astrophic Flood At Virginia Café, Forcing Months-Long Shutdown Kitten Causes Cat-Astrophic Flood At Virginia Café, Forcing Months-Long Shutdown
Kitten Causes Cat-Astrophic Flood At Virginia Café, Forcing Months-Long Shutdown A kitten, a towel, and a sink walk into a cat café… and Richmond’s newest small business suddenly has a renovation project no one ordered. That’s the real-life plot twist at The Purrfect Bean, the cat café that’s only been open a few months and already earned a loyal following of latte lovers, students, and adopters who swear by its cozy vibes and cuddly residents.  All it took was one freak accident — involving a mischievous kitten named Roller — to shut the whole place down for what owners say could be “at least the rest of the year.” Roller The Purrfect Bean The good news?  Every…

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by Zak Failla
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