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

Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Snow Slams Virginia, Sends Cars Spinning As State Police Probe 200+ Crashes In 16 Hours Snow Slams Virginia, Sends Cars Spinning As State Police Probe 200+ Crashes In 16 Hours Snow Slams Virginia, Sends Cars Spinning As State Police Probe 200+ Crashes In 16 Hours
Snow Slams Virginia, Sends Cars Spinning As State Police Probe 200+ Crashes In 16 Hours Snow and ice made for dangerous travel across Virginia on Friday, as state police responded to more than two hundred crashes by late afternoon. Virginia State Police is urging drivers to slow down and check conditions before heading out as winter weather continues to cause problems on the roads Friday, December 5, 2025, officials said. Since midnight, troopers have investigated 214 crashes statewide, according to Virginia State Police. Twenty-nine of those crashes resulted in injuries, and no fatalities have been reported. The snow created issues across every region of the state, officials…

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by Zak Failla
Oakton, VA
Breaking News
Ex-DEA Boss From Oakton Agreed To Help Violent Mexican Cartel Move Millions, Feds Say Ex-DEA Boss From Oakton Agreed To Help Violent Mexican Cartel Move Millions, Feds Say Ex-DEA Boss From Oakton Agreed To Help Violent Mexican Cartel Move Millions, Feds Say
Ex-dea Boss From Oakton Agreed To Help Violent Mexican Cartel Move Millions, Feds Say A former top DEA official living in Northern Virginia is accused of using his law enforcement expertise to help a violent Mexican cartel move money and drugs across the United States, federal prosecutors announced Friday. Paul Campo, 61, of Oakton, is facing charges after agreeing to launder upward of $12 million to participate in drug trafficking for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a/k/a Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion or CJNG. Prosecutors say that Campo and his associate, 75-year-old Florida man Robert Sensi, began meeting with a confidential source posing as a CJNG member…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Your Community
Maryland Teen Found With 3D-Printed Gun During Northwood High School Fight, Police Say Maryland Teen Found With 3D-Printed Gun During Northwood High School Fight, Police Say Maryland Teen Found With 3D-Printed Gun During Northwood High School Fight, Police Say
Maryland Teen Found With 3D-Printed Gun During Northwood High School Fight, Police Say A 17-year-old Northwood High School student is facing adult charges after police said he was found with a loaded 3D-printed gun during a fight inside the Silver Spring school on Friday morning. A fight inside Northwood High School forced a lockdown on Friday, Dec. 5, after a witness reported that one of the students involved had a gun, Montgomery County Police said. Officers were called to the school in the 11200 block of Old Georgetown Road around 8:23 a.m. for a report of an armed student, according to police. Investigators said they searched 17-year-old Isaiah Gaunt and “found a loaded …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Video Shows Man With Gun As Detectives Ask Public To Help Solve 2021 Hybla Valley Killing Video Shows Man With Gun As Detectives Ask Public To Help Solve 2021 Hybla Valley Killing Video Shows Man With Gun As Detectives Ask Public To Help Solve 2021 Hybla Valley Killing
Video Shows Man With Gun As Detectives Ask Public To Help Solve 2021 Hybla Valley Killing Detectives are turning back to the community — and releasing new video — in hopes of finally solving the 2021 killing of Tafari “Trey” Nadhim, a Maryland man found dead in a Hybla Valley neighborhood, Fairfax County Police said. The case dates back to Thursday, July 8, 2021, when officers were called to the 7800 block of Janna Lee Avenue in Hybla Valley for a death investigation, according to detectives with the Major Crimes Bureau.  Police said man, later identified as Nadhim, 30, was found unresponsive in a wooded area. Investigators learned Nadhim had been at a Fourth of July block…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
On Your Side
Bakery de France Kneads More Room — Frederick Expansion Delivers Third Maryland Location Bakery de France Kneads More Room — Frederick Expansion Delivers Third Maryland Location Bakery de France Kneads More Room — Frederick Expansion Delivers Third Maryland Location
Bakery de France Kneads More Room — Frederick Expansion Delivers Third Maryland Location Maryland’s getting a bigger bite of Bakery de France. Gov. Wes Moore announced that the Rockville-based artisan bread maker is expanding in Frederick, opening a 176,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on its existing site at 8400 Bakery Way — a move expected to create 125 new full-time jobs by 2028. “Bakery de France’s expansion in Frederick creates a unique link between past and future—an old-world bakery using its skill and artistry to support an exciting new investment and create new jobs,” Moore said. The company, known for its all-natural, sustainably made breads, already supplies …

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Obituaries
Grief, Tributes Pour In After Devin “Dev Dev” Braxton’s Sudden Death In Montgomery County Grief, Tributes Pour In After Devin “Dev Dev” Braxton’s Sudden Death In Montgomery County Grief, Tributes Pour In After Devin “Dev Dev” Braxton’s Sudden Death In Montgomery County
Grief, Tributes Pour In After Devin “Dev Dev” Braxton’s Sudden Death In Montgomery County Maryland friends, family, and former classmates are grieving the sudden loss of Devin “Dev Dev” Braxton, who passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday.  A fundraiser launched by Omari Braxton says the goal is to raise $5,000 to help with memorial expenses as the community tries to process the loss. “Devin touched countless lives. He was a friend to all who knew him—generous, loving, hardworking, always full of laughter, and a bright light in every room," he wrote. "His heart for others was truly unmatched. He will be deeply and forever missed." Friends have been sharing raw, personal messag…

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by Zak Failla
Indian Head-Nanjemoy, MD
Breaking News
Indian Head Traffic Stop Turns Into Chase; Stolen Gun, Drugs Found, Sheriff Says Indian Head Traffic Stop Turns Into Chase; Stolen Gun, Drugs Found, Sheriff Says Indian Head Traffic Stop Turns Into Chase; Stolen Gun, Drugs Found, Sheriff Says
Indian Head Traffic Stop Turns Into Chase; Stolen Gun, Drugs Found, Sheriff Says A routine traffic stop in Maryland turned into a late-night chase and gun bust, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the driver, Luis Edgardo Mejia Molina, 20, of Marbury, was taken into custody along with a 17-year-old passenger after officers stopped the car shortly before 11 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, in the 3000 block of Chicamuxen Road in Indian Head. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the driver initially pulled over but suddenly sped off.  After making several turns, the vehicle looped back onto Chicamuxen Road, where officers had deployed stop sticks. T…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Home Gutted After Smoking Materials Spark Explosive Garage Fire (PHOTOS) Waldorf Home Gutted After Smoking Materials Spark Explosive Garage Fire (PHOTOS) Waldorf Home Gutted After Smoking Materials Spark Explosive Garage Fire (PHOTOS)
Waldorf Home Gutted After Smoking Materials Spark Explosive Garage Fire (Photos) A Maryland family lost most of their home in minutes after discarded smoking materials sparked a fast-moving garage fire that ripped through the house on Thursday night, according to volunteer fire officials. The fire was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3 in the 800 block of Copley Avenue in Waldorf, according to Charles County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Multiple 911 callers reported flames shooting from the home. First responders arrived within minutes and confirmed a working garage fire, prompting a working fire dispatch as the blaze spread to…

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by Zak Failla
Chesapeake City, MD
Breaking News
Missing Maryland Waterman Found Dead Near Taylors Island After 21-Day Search: NRP (UPDATED) Missing Maryland Waterman Found Dead Near Taylors Island After 21-Day Search: NRP (UPDATED) Missing Maryland Waterman Found Dead Near Taylors Island After 21-Day Search: NRP (UPDATED)
Missing Maryland Waterman Found Dead Near Taylors Island After 21-Day Search: NRP (Updated) A three-week search for a missing Maryland waterman came to a tragic end on Thursday after Natural Resources Police found his body in the waters near Taylors Island, authorities said. NRP officials said Lonnie James Johnson, 65, of Chesapeake Beach, was found dead on Dec. 4 at approximately 12:30 p.m. after department aviators spotted a body during an aerial search aboard the agency’s helicopter, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police. Officers responded to the northwest shoreline of Taylors Island, south of the mouth of the Little Choptank River, where Johnson was recovered. NRP s…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
Virginia Brothers Wiped Nearly 100 Government Databases In Revenge Plot After Firing: Feds Virginia Brothers Wiped Nearly 100 Government Databases In Revenge Plot After Firing: Feds Virginia Brothers Wiped Nearly 100 Government Databases In Revenge Plot After Firing: Feds
Virginia Brothers Wiped Nearly 100 Government Databases In Revenge Plot After Firing: Feds Federal officials say two Virginia brothers used their contractor access to wipe government databases, steal sensitive files, and even search online for ways to cover their tracks after being fired, according to the Justice Department. Authorities arrested Alexandria twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, on charges they conspired to destroy key government databases hosted by a federal contractor, the DOJ announced this week. Officials say the deleted systems included records for Freedom of Information Act requests, sensitive investigative files, and other federal information used…

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by Zak Failla
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