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

Rockville, MD
Breaking News
Rockville Home Destroyed In Massive Fire Causing More Than $1M Damage Rockville Home Destroyed In Massive Fire Causing More Than $1M Damage Rockville Home Destroyed In Massive Fire Causing More Than $1M Damage
Rockville Home Destroyed In Massive Fire Causing More Than $1M Damage A massive house fire tore through a Rockville home Sunday night, causing more than $1 million dollars in damage and drawing nearly 60 Montgomery County firefighters to the scene, officials said. The blaze broke out around 5:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Mannakee Street, where crews arrived to find heavy fire ripping through all floors of a two-and-a-half-story single-family home, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighters initially launched a defensive attack to knock down the flames before transitioning inside. Piringer said all occupants made it out safely, and no injuri…

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by Zak Failla
Pikesville, MD
Breaking News
Pikesville Hotel Fire Sends Two To Hospital As Crews Contain Flames To One Room: Officials Pikesville Hotel Fire Sends Two To Hospital As Crews Contain Flames To One Room: Officials Pikesville Hotel Fire Sends Two To Hospital As Crews Contain Flames To One Room: Officials
Pikesville Hotel Fire Sends Two To Hospital As Crews Contain Flames To One Room: Officials A quiet Saturday afternoon in Maryland turned chaotic when a fire erupted inside a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, injuring two people and sending firefighters racing to the scene. Crews were dispatched at 3:38 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30, to the hotel in Pikesville after reports of smoke on the third floor, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. Firefighters arrived to find smoke spreading through the hallway and two people hurt. Officials said one of the victims was transported from the scene for treatment and evaluation of undisclosed injuries. Crews made their way into the affected…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
White House Launches ‘Media Offenders’ Page To Shame Reporters, Rank ‘Fake News’ White House Launches ‘Media Offenders’ Page To Shame Reporters, Rank ‘Fake News’ White House Launches ‘Media Offenders’ Page To Shame Reporters, Rank ‘Fake News’
White House Launches ‘Media Offenders’ Page To Shame Reporters, Rank ‘Fake News’ Because running the country wasn’t keeping them busy enough, the White House now posts a weekly naughty list for journalists. The White House has launched a new page on its website called "media offenders," where they plan to list news sites, reporters, and stories they claim to be "fake news" that misled the public. Specifically, the website is tracking the Washington Post, CBS News, CNN, and MSNBC, with an archive of articles and videos dating back months. On Friday, the website targeted its "Media Offender of the Week," which the White House alleges "the media misrepresented Presid…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Cold Case Cracked After 37 Years: DNA Identifies Killer In ‘Mooda’ Thompson Murder In Frederick Cold Case Cracked After 37 Years: DNA Identifies Killer In ‘Mooda’ Thompson Murder In Frederick Cold Case Cracked After 37 Years: DNA Identifies Killer In ‘Mooda’ Thompson Murder In Frederick
Cold Case Cracked After 37 Years: DNA Identifies Killer In ‘Mooda’ Thompson Murder In Frederick A Maryland family that waited nearly four decades for answers finally has them. Frederick Police announced a major break in the 1988 killing of Delores Marie “Mooda” Thompson, confirming that updated DNA testing has identified the man responsible. Thompson was found dead in her apartment in the 100 block of S. Market Street on Feb. 1, 1988. Investigators determined her death was caused by ligature strangulation and found evidence of a sexual assault. At the time, DNA testing was in its early stages.  Police said no usable profile could be developed from the evidence, even after inves…

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Triple Fatal Clear Spring House Blaze Leads To Four Arrests With More Coming: State Police Triple Fatal Clear Spring House Blaze Leads To Four Arrests With More Coming: State Police Triple Fatal Clear Spring House Blaze Leads To Four Arrests With More Coming: State Police
Triple Fatal Clear Spring House Blaze Leads To Four Arrests With More Coming: State Police Four people have been taken into custody — and more arrests are expected — following a fatal fire in Maryland that claimed three lives. At around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, crews in Washington County were called to the 13800 block of National Pike in Clear Spring, where they were met by a home that was "heavily involved in fire," with people trapped inside, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal.  During the primary search of the burning home, crews found three victims inside — Brittany Ray, 31, Harold Fliechman, 36, and Brianna Mae Weishaar, 25, all of Clear Spring. All thre…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Trump Uses Slur Against Gov. Tim Walz in Thanksgiving Truth Social Tirade; Walz Fires Back Trump Uses Slur Against Gov. Tim Walz in Thanksgiving Truth Social Tirade; Walz Fires Back Trump Uses Slur Against Gov. Tim Walz in Thanksgiving Truth Social Tirade; Walz Fires Back
Trump Uses Slur Against Gov. Tim Walz in Thanksgiving Truth Social Tirade; Walz Fires Back President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving message took a hard turn into political combat after he used a slur to attack Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a lengthy Truth Social tirade. The post, published minutes before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, Nov. 26, opened as a holiday greeting before veering into immigration, Minnesota’s refugee population, and an extended attack on Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar — using choice words. In the middle of the message, Trump referred to Walz as “the seriously re----ed Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz,” accusing him of doing nothing “either through fear, incompetence, or bo…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Your Community
New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working
New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working Virginia lawmakers are taking aim at masked officers, introducing a sweeping proposal that would make it illegal for most police — including federal agents — to hide their faces while on duty. The measure, known as HB7, was pre-filed for the 2026 session and would create some of the strictest limits in the country on when law-enforcement officers can wear facial coverings. Under the bill, officers would be barred from wearing anything that conceals their identity while performing official duties. The definition is broad.  Ski masks, balaclavas, tactical masks, gators, and any opaque i…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
DC Mother Loses Her Only Son Right After Losing Her Own Mom: 'We Are All Devastated' DC Mother Loses Her Only Son Right After Losing Her Own Mom: 'We Are All Devastated' DC Mother Loses Her Only Son Right After Losing Her Own Mom: 'We Are All Devastated'
DC Mother Loses Her Only Son Right After Losing Her Own Mom: 'We Are All Devastated' Tyrone Kearney was someone whose presence could light up a room long before anyone realized how much they depended on it. The 31-year-old was gunned down on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Southeast DC, leaving a family, a mother, and a community struggling to understand a loss that came without warning. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called shortly after 5:30 p.m. to the 1200 block of Valley Avenue SE, for reports of gunfire.  When they arrived, they found Kearney unconscious and unresponsive with gunshot wounds.  DC Fire and EMS responded and pronounced …

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
3,700 Miles From London, Child Rape Suspect Stopped At Dulles And Sent Back To UK: CBP 3,700 Miles From London, Child Rape Suspect Stopped At Dulles And Sent Back To UK: CBP 3,700 Miles From London, Child Rape Suspect Stopped At Dulles And Sent Back To UK: CBP
3,700 Miles From London, Child Rape Suspect Stopped At Dulles And Sent Back To UK: CBP A rape suspect wanted in London was stopped at Dulles Airport and sent back to the United Kingdom to face charges after arriving on a flight from Germany, according to US Customs and Border Protection. CBP officials said they detained Patrick Kwaku Dunyo, 35, a Ghanaian national living in London, after he landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday following a flight from Frankfurt. London authorities were searching for Dunyo on charges of rape of a 16-year-old and sexual assault stemming from an incident alleged to have occurred on November 21, CBP said. According to inv…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Assistant Principal, Brother Plotted To Kill ICE Officers: DHS Virginia Assistant Principal, Brother Plotted To Kill ICE Officers: DHS Virginia Assistant Principal, Brother Plotted To Kill ICE Officers: DHS
Virginia Assistant Principal, Brother Plotted To Kill ICE Officers: DHS A Virginia high school assistant principal and his brother are facing charges after federal officials say they plotted to kill ICE law enforcement officers. The Department of Homeland Security said the investigation began on Monday. Nov. 17, after an off-duty Norfolk police officer overheard John Wilson Bennett and his brother Mark Booth Bennett discussing plans to “kill police officers and ICE agents.” According to DHS, Mark Bennett was also overheard saying he planned to meet with like-minded individuals in Las Vegas to purchase firearms with explosive rounds. Investigators said Mark Ben…

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by Zak Failla
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