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

Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Man Hit Pedestrian, Drove Off, Returned, Then Fled Again In Fatal Crash: Prosecutors Maryland Man Hit Pedestrian, Drove Off, Returned, Then Fled Again In Fatal Crash: Prosecutors Maryland Man Hit Pedestrian, Drove Off, Returned, Then Fled Again In Fatal Crash: Prosecutors
Maryland Man Hit Pedestrian, Drove Off, Returned, Then Fled Again In Fatal Crash: Prosecutors A Maryland man who hit a pedestrian, drove off, came back to ask what happened, and then took off again has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to Cecil County prosecutors. Joseph Anthony Giles Jr., of North East, learned his fate on Friday, Nov. 7, after a judge found him guilty of grossly negligent manslaughter, criminally negligent manslaughter, and more than a dozen traffic charges tied to the deadly hit-and-run. Prosecutors said the crash happened in the early-morning hours of March 24, 2024, on Jacob Tome Highway in Colora. The pedestrian, Raymond Albert Cote Jr., was wal…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Shoebox Puppies Reunited With Their Mom After Abandonment Along Virginia Trail Shoebox Puppies Reunited With Their Mom After Abandonment Along Virginia Trail Shoebox Puppies Reunited With Their Mom After Abandonment Along Virginia Trail
Shoebox Puppies Reunited With Their Mom After Abandonment Along Virginia Trail It’s the update everyone was hoping for. Six newborn puppies found stuffed inside a taped Nike shoebox along a walking trail in Bealeton have been reunited with their mother, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office announced. The sheriff’s office shared the update days after the pups were found on Saturday, Nov. 8, inside a yellow-taped shoebox lined with a towel and punctured with air holes.  The puppies found in Fauquier County. Fauquier County Sheriff The box had been left near the railroad tracks along the path, officials said. The puppies found in Fauquier County…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Breaking News
Box Truck Driver Who Mowed Down Harford County Deputy During I-95 Chaos Indicted: Prosecutors Box Truck Driver Who Mowed Down Harford County Deputy During I-95 Chaos Indicted: Prosecutors Box Truck Driver Who Mowed Down Harford County Deputy During I-95 Chaos Indicted: Prosecutors
Box Truck Driver Who Mowed Down Harford County Deputy During I-95 Chaos Indicted: Prosecutors A 21-year-old man who was arrested in New York a day after seriously injuring a veteran sheriff's deputy in Maryland during a wild chase has been brought back to the state to face charges, authorities announced. Yonkers resident Juan Yahir Quiroz Manzueta has been identified and arrested as the driver of a Penske box truck that struck and critically injured Lt. Rob Burgess, a 29-year member of the Harford County Sheriff's Office assigned to the Community Policing Division on Tuesday afternoon. According to the Harford County State's Attorney's Office, Quiroz Manzueta was extradite…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Your Community
Man Who Beat, Carjacked Teens At Gunpoint During St. Charles HS Ambush Learns Prison Fate Man Who Beat, Carjacked Teens At Gunpoint During St. Charles HS Ambush Learns Prison Fate Man Who Beat, Carjacked Teens At Gunpoint During St. Charles HS Ambush Learns Prison Fate
Man Who Beat, Carjacked Teens At Gunpoint During St. Charles HS Ambush Learns Prison Fate A Maryland man who terrorized students during a violent armed carjacking outside of a Charles County school will spend nearly two decades in prison, authorities announced. A jury convicted Martino Marcus Young, 21, following a four-day trial on a host of charges stemming from an incident at St. Charles High School last year. According to the Charles County State's Attorney, Young was found guilty of: Armed carjacking; Armed robbery; Two counts of first-degree assault; Four counts of use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and related offenses. According to th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
E-Scooter Rider In Coma Following Catastrophic Late-Night Post-Work In Virginia E-Scooter Rider In Coma Following Catastrophic Late-Night Post-Work In Virginia E-Scooter Rider In Coma Following Catastrophic Late-Night Post-Work In Virginia
E-Scooter Rider In Coma Following Catastrophic Late-Night Post-Work In Virginia A quiet ride home after a late-night shift turned into a life-changing tragedy for a Virginia man fighting to survive after a devastating e-scooter crash that left him with catastrophic injuries and a long road ahead. Greg Pollard was riding his e-scooter home “after finishing a late shift at the bar where he works” in the early hours of Monday, Nov. 3, when he was struck by a car, a family friend said. It is believed that Pollard was struck by the vehicle at around 1 a.m. as it was traveling between 25 mph and 35 mph. Mario Mejia said Pollard's adrenaline surged after impact — he tried to…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Your Community
Six Middle Schoolers Sickened After Drug-Laced Snack Shared In DC Class, Officials Say Six Middle Schoolers Sickened After Drug-Laced Snack Shared In DC Class, Officials Say Six Middle Schoolers Sickened After Drug-Laced Snack Shared In DC Class, Officials Say
Six Middle Schoolers Sickened After Drug-Laced Snack Shared In DC Class, Officials Say Six students at Kramer Middle School in DC were evaluated by medics after eating a food item that school officials say contained a controlled substance.  The incident happened on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Southeast DC school, according to a letter sent to parents. Administrators said a student brought the item to school and shared it with several classmates.  After eating it, six students “began to feel unwell,” the school said. The school nurse checked them, and DC Fire and EMS arrived on campus for further evaluation. One student was taken for medical care, officials said. Th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Dog Dumped During Cecil County Car Theft Chase Before Troopers Nab Suspect: Police Dog Dumped During Cecil County Car Theft Chase Before Troopers Nab Suspect: Police Dog Dumped During Cecil County Car Theft Chase Before Troopers Nab Suspect: Police
Dog Dumped During Cecil County Car Theft Chase Before Troopers Nab Suspect: Police A stolen car, a loose dog, and a short police chase through Cecil County ended with one man in custody — and a very lucky pup safely scooped up by a passerby, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers said the chaos began just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, when a man’s vehicle was stolen from outside a business on Fletchwood Road in Elkton while his dog was still inside. Police said the suspect — identified as 24-year-old John Wells of Rising Sun — took off with the vehicle before troopers spotted him and attempted a stop. Wells allegedly led police on a brief pursuit before ditching th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Frederick Man Dies After Downtown Shooting; Charges Now Upgraded To Murder: Police Frederick Man Dies After Downtown Shooting; Charges Now Upgraded To Murder: Police Frederick Man Dies After Downtown Shooting; Charges Now Upgraded To Murder: Police
Frederick Man Dies After Downtown Shooting; Charges Now Upgraded To Murder: Police A downtown Maryland shooting that police once said could have ended far worse has now turned deadly, and charges against the accused gunman have been upgraded. Frederick Police confirmed on Wednesday, Nov. 12, that one of the two victims injured in the Oct. 5, 2024 shooting has died from his injuries. According to the department, 21-year-old Xavier Jace Smith died on Oct. 12, one week after officers found him and another victim suffering from gunshot wounds near North Market Street and East Church Street around 1:50 a.m. E Church Street and Market Street in Frederick Google Maps st…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Boy Comes Home After Severe Middle School Brain Injury As Mom Shares Update Silver Spring Boy Comes Home After Severe Middle School Brain Injury As Mom Shares Update Silver Spring Boy Comes Home After Severe Middle School Brain Injury As Mom Shares Update
Silver Spring Boy Comes Home After Severe Middle School Brain Injury As Mom Shares Update A Maryland family is celebrating a milestone they once feared would never come. Lenny Diaz — the Silver Spring middle schooler who suffered a devastating skull injury during a gym class incident at Odessa Shannon Middle School on Wednesday, Oct. 22 — is finally home, his mother announced. Lenny’s mother, Emily Diaz, shared the emotional update on Wednesday, Nov. 12, saying her son graduated from NRH (National Rehabilitation Hospital) and has been released to continue recovering at home. “My handsome (boy) graduates NRH today,” she wrote. “Lenny, you did it, buddy. Thank you, God, for never…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Bowie, MD
Breaking News
Teen Tossed Backpack Of Ghost Guns As Bowie HS Stickup Arrest Went Down, Police Say Teen Tossed Backpack Of Ghost Guns As Bowie HS Stickup Arrest Went Down, Police Say Teen Tossed Backpack Of Ghost Guns As Bowie HS Stickup Arrest Went Down, Police Say
Teen Tossed Backpack Of Ghost Guns As Bowie HS Stickup Arrest Went Down, Police Say A teenager accused of sticking up a student outside a Maryland high school was arrested after officers said he tried to ditch a backpack full of ghost guns out a bedroom window during an early-morning raid. Bowie Police said the arrest went down around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, when officers — joined by the US Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force — served a search warrant in the 200 block of Harry S. Truman Drive in Upper Marlboro. Inside, officers took 18-year-old Koby Allen, of Upper Marlboro, into custody in connection with the armed robbery and non-contact shootin…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 428 of 3978 426 427 428 429 430 Next
4,271 - 4,280 of 39,777 articles