Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Glen Burnie, MD

On Your Side

Beloved ‘Santa Wayne’ Needs Help After 35 Years Keeping Marley Station’s Mall Magic Alive In MD For 35 years, a dying mall had one thing that never faded: Santa Wayne. Now, weeks before Christmas, the man who kept Marley Station’s holiday spirit alive needs the community he spent decades pouring himself into. If you grew up anywhere near Marley Station Mall, you already know the deal. Stores left. Corridors emptied. Foot traffic dried up. But every December, one thing still brought families back through those quiet halls. Santa Wayne. Not a replacement. Not a rotating cast. Not one of those Santas who jumps from mall to mall. Their Santa. The one generations of kids grew up wi…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Oxon Hill, MD

Breaking News

Man Shot And Killed Inside MGM National Harbor Food Court; Shooter Ran: Police (Updated) A man was shot and killed during a midday attack inside the packed food court at MGM National Harbor on Wednesday, sending shoppers running as the gunman got away, according to Prince George’s County Police. Officers said they were called to the resort in Oxon Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at about 11:55 a.m., after getting reports of gunfire in the food court. Police said one man died on the scene. A second man had what officers described as a graze wound. Detectives said they are working to figure out what led to the shooting and who pulled the trigger. PGPD said the shooter ran from …

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Bel Air, MD

Breaking News

Officers Seize Child Porn Photos, Videos During Bel Air Raid: State Police A 51-year-old man is behind bars after Maryland State Police said they found graphic child sexual exploitation material inside his Harford County home. Troopers arrested Bel Air resident Matthew McMahon this week after they uncovered photos and video of child pornography during a months-long probe, authorities announced. Specifically, McMahon was charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. According to investigators, a trooper assigned to the Harford County Child Advocacy Center launched the case in September 2025, after developing information about the “possession and viewi…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Waldorf, MD

Breaking News

Maryland Family’s Florida Road Trip Ends In Horror After Violent T-Bone Crash In Georgia A Maryland family’s road trip to Florida turned into a nightmare when their car was t-boned in Georgia, sending all four passengers to the hospital with serious injuries, officials said. The crash happened on Nov. 9, as Jameka Smith, Charlene Smith, Sherneen Smith, and young Xavi were driving from Maryland to Jacksonville, according to the family. The impact was so severe that first responders used the jaws of life to free Charlene, who was flown from the scene to Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia. Family members said that Jameka lost consciousness upon impact and sustained t…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Virginia Woman Wakes To Stranger Standing Over Her In Chilling Home Break-In, Sheriff Says A woman in Virginia woke up to a stranger standing over her in her bedroom during a terrifying invasion after he made himself right at home, officials said. The break-in was reported in the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Stonehaven subdivision on the north end of Route 229, according to the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the woman managed to escape only because the suspect briefly walked away to grab items he had left behind as she made a dash to her neighbor's home to call 911. The woman told deputies she woke to find a man standing above her in her bedroom after …

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

Hydroplaning — Not Hit-Run Driver — Triggered Multi-Car I-95 Crash In Spotsy: State Police Turns out the I-95 crash that had Virginia troopers searching for a mystery pickup driver… didn’t involve a pickup at all. Virginia State Police now say the truck that was originally blamed for sparking Tuesday’s multi-vehicle crash in Spotsylvania County simply wasn’t there. In an updated release Wednesday morning, VSP put it bluntly: “FURTHER INVESTIGATION NOW INDICATES THAT THERE WAS NO WHITE PICKUP INVOLVED IN THE CRASH.” That’s a sharp turn from the early reports that had troopers looking for a hit-and-run driver after several people were taken to the hospital. Here's what state pol…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Clifton-Fairfax Station, VA

Obituaries

Virginia Husband, Father Of Four Dies Suddenly Leaving Community Shattered: 'Loved By Everyone' Alan Patrick Daniel Rindfleisch was home with his family the night before Thanksgiving when everything changed. His death the day before was sudden and unexpected, loved ones said, as he leaves behind his high school sweetheart, four kids, and a community that is looking to rally around them. Rindfleisch is being remembered as a devoted husband. A father of four. A man with, in Amanda Nadolski’s words, “an unimaginable number of real friends who meant the world to him.” His marriage to wife Jennifer Rindfleisch stretched back to high school and grew through 20 ye…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Silver Spring, MD

Obituaries

Maryland Mom Of Three Dies Cooking Day Before Thanksgiving; Family Seeks Help Sending Her Home A Maryland family is grieving the sudden loss of Masey Ceesay-Sanneh, a mother of three who collapsed and died the day before Thanksgiving while preparing food for her loved ones. Her brother, Yusupha Ceesay, said Ceesay-Sanneh went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, as she was getting ready for the holiday meal. The loss stunned relatives across Maryland and The Gambia, where she grew up and where her family hopes to return her body. Yusupha Ceesay described his sister as a devoted mother of three boys, “all under 21, one who is special needs.” He called her “a …

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

La Plata, MD

Your Community

Maryland Crossing Guard Seriously Injured After Being Hit Outside La Plata High School A school crossing guard was seriously injured Tuesday morning after being hit by a car outside a Maryland high school, officials said. The incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when the guard at La Plata High School was directing traffic near the entrance to the school, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the guard instructed a driver to make a left turn from the access road across the street to northbound Radio Station Road. As the driver turned, the front right corner of the vehicle struck the guard in the leg, knocking her to the ground, …

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Rockville, MD

Breaking News

Death Investigation Closes Shady Grove Metro Garages In Maryland, Police Say (Developing) A death investigation shut down two parking garages at the Shady Grove Metro station early Wednesday, police said. Officers were called shortly before 5 a.m. to the North Parking garage for a reported death, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. According to the agency, police said, “Parking Garage 1 & 2 accessed from Redland Road is closed.” The department said that more information is expected to be released when "details are confirmed." No additional details about the victim or the circumstances have been released. This is a developing story. Check Da…

by Zak Failla

12/03/2025

Prev Page 408 of 3978 406 407 408 409 410 Next

4,071 - 4,080 of 39,777 articles