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

Oxon Hill, MD

Your Community

PG County Student Drops Loaded Gun In School Stairwell After Bypassing Security: Police A student who pushed past security and left a loaded gun inside Charles Herbert Flowers High School is now facing charges, police in Maryland said on Wednesday. Prince George’s County Police said the incident began at approximately 8:50 a.m. on Nov. 18, when school security told the assigned school resource officer that a student had bypassed security personnel and ran up a set of stairs where he left the gun, according to the department. The student then fled the school, which went into a lockdown. Patrol officers began canvassing the area. A short time later, officers found the tee…

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Obituaries

Rufus ‘Rome’ Whitaker Remembered After Fatal I-95 Crash In Virginia: 'Always Ready With A Joke' Rufus “Rome” Whitaker made people laugh, made people feel loved, and made sure no one around him ever felt alone. Now, the Washington, DC community is grieving the loss of a man they say was full of life and impossible to forget. Whitaker, 62, was killed shortly before 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the vehicle he was riding in overturned in Greensville County, according to Virginia State Police. Police reported that a 2005 Volvo XC90 was traveling south on I-95 near the 12-mile marker when it “ran off the right side of the roadway.” The driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle t…

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Towson, MD

Obituaries

Maryland Dad, 20, Dies In Motorcycle Crash As Father Fights To Live: 'Hearts Shattered' A 20-year-old Maryland father of two is being mourned across his family and community after he was killed in a motorcycle crash this week — a loss made even heavier by the fact that his own father is reportedly in a coma at the same time. Avion Wright died on Monday, Nov. 17, at around 9 p.m., according to his sister, who said the crash shattered their family. He leaves behind two young daughters, ages 4 and 1, a devoted mother, his father, and siblings who are reeling. His sister, Laniza Wright, wrote that she is “so lost for words” as she tries to understand how her little brother …

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Ashburn, VA

Breaking News

Loudoun Volunteer Fire Chief Charged With Embezzlement After Credit Card Probe: Sheriff A volunteer fire chief in Virginia is facing charges for alleged embezzlement, authorities announced on Wednesday. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has arrested Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department (AVFRD) Chief William Graham II, 66, of Ashburn, following an investigation into embezzlement of station funds. According to detectives, they were alerted about the possible crime after Graham allegedly reported to the sheriff's office that there were fraudulent charges totaling $2,000 on his AVFRD-issued credit card. Graham was charged with embezzlement by a public officer. He…

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Lexington Park, MD

Breaking News

Lifetime Sex Offender Status For Lexington Park Man Sentenced In Child Abuse Case: Prosecutor A Maryland man will spend decades behind bars for sexually abusing a minor, authorities announced. Lexington Park resident Robin Maudie Barahona Gonzalez has been sentenced to 40 years in prison with 35 years to serve following a 2022 investigation that led to his arrest and prosecution, the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's Office announced. In addition to his prison term, the judge ordered that Barahona Gonzalez register as a sex offender for life for the sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography. Specifically, the court sentenced Barahona Gonzalez to …

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Lexington Park, MD

Breaking News

Stabbing Victim Drives To Firehouse For Help After Lexington Park Robbery: Sheriff A man and a teenage girl have been arrested in a Maryland robbery and stabbing that sent a victim to the hospital, authorities said. Deputies arrested Devonte Twain Harrod, 26, of Lexington Park, and a 16-year-old girl on Tuesday, Nov. 18 following a violent incident two days earlier, according to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were first called to a suspicious incident on Spyglass Way in Lexington Park on Nov. 16. Minutes later, a second call reported a walk-in stabbing victim at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, also in Lexington Park. The victim told deputies…

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

Mechanicsville, MD

Obituaries

Mechanicsville Mourns Nascar-loving Dad Killed In Crash As Community Rallies For Young Family Mark “Vinnie” Vincent Wroble Jr. spent his life showing up for people — his wife, his little girls, his family, his friends, even his coworkers. Now, the same community he never hesitated to help is rushing to lift up the young family he leaves behind after a horrific crash in Southern Maryland. Wroble, a 32-year-old father of two from Mechanicsville, was gravely injured in a multivehicle collision on Saturday and died the following evening at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. What happened on Route 301 has now become the center of a Maryland State Police investigation. Acco…

by Zak Failla

11/19/2025

National Interest

Pennsauken Assault Suspect Screamed ‘Allahu Akbar,’ Grabbed ICE Taser In Wild Arrest: Feds A violent criminal from Turkey with assault cases in New Jersey and Pennsylvania shouted "Allahu Akbar" and allegedly attempted to grab an ICE agent's taser during his latest arrest in upstate New York, federal officials say. Saim Irgi, 39, was arrested earlier this month in Tonawanda, NY, during a targeted takedown operation, though officials said he didn't go down quietly. According to ICE, Irgi refused repeated commands to exit his vehicle before his arrest, then grabbed at an officer's weapon when they attempted to remove him from the vehicle. He was ultimately tased and taken into cus…

by Zak Failla

11/18/2025

Manassas, VA

Breaking News

Manassas Volleyball Coach Accused Of Taking Inappropriate Photos Of Minors Released On Bond: PD A youth volleyball coach who allegedly took inappropriate pictures of minors in Virginia was released after being arrested in Prince William County, authorities announced. Richard Trevor Hill, 33, was taken into custody following a month-long Manassas City Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault committed against a minor by an assistant coach. Police said the incident was reported at the Manassas Volleyball Club in the 9400 block of Center Point Lane. Detectives obtained and examined evidence that led to the recovery of “a photograph of the juvenile athlete in a compromised pos…

by Zak Failla

11/18/2025

Elkton, MD

Breaking News

NJ Dad Who ‘Must Have Fallen Asleep’ Learns Fate In Crash That Killed Toddler On I-95 In Elkton A New Jersey father has been sentenced to five years behind bars in the Maryland crash that killed his 21-month-old son, according to the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office. Jonathan Bradford Miles II, of Elizabeth, learned his fate when a Cecil County judge handed down the punishment for grossly negligent manslaughter, neglect of a minor, and driving on a highway without a required license after a harrowing crash more than two years ago. According to prosecutors, Maryland State Troopers were called around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 23, 2023, for a BMW SUV that had left the southbound lanes of …

by Zak Failla

11/18/2025

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