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

Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
ICE Nabs Violent Salvadoran In Fairfax After Virginia Officials Let Him Walk Free — Twice ICE Nabs Violent Salvadoran In Fairfax After Virginia Officials Let Him Walk Free — Twice ICE Nabs Violent Salvadoran In Fairfax After Virginia Officials Let Him Walk Free — Twice
ICE Nabs Violent Salvadoran In Fairfax After Virginia Officials Let Him Walk Free — Twice A Salvadoran national with a violent criminal history was arrested in Fairfax County after local officials refused to honor multiple ICE detainers and released him back into the community, federal authorities announced. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, DC, officers arrested Jorge Armando Melendez-Gonzalez, 27, on Thursday, Oct. 24, in Fairfax, after county officials ignored an immigration detainer filed earlier this year, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Melendez-Gonzalez has a lengthy record that includes 10 arrests and 19 criminal offenses, federal…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Three-Alarm Fire Tears Through Sterling Townhomes, Crews Battle Flames Overnight Three-Alarm Fire Tears Through Sterling Townhomes, Crews Battle Flames Overnight Three-Alarm Fire Tears Through Sterling Townhomes, Crews Battle Flames Overnight
Three-Alarm Fire Tears Through Sterling Townhomes, Crews Battle Flames Overnight A 78-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder after a massive three-alarm fire ripped through a Sterling neighborhood last week, killing a 36-year-old woman, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Sterling resident Jacob Bogatin was taken into custody on Tuesday, Oct. 28, after investigators determined the Oct. 24 fire on Riptide Square was intentionally set, authorities said. The blaze broke out just after 1 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24, tearing through multiple townhomes as firefighters from across Northern Virginia rushed to the scene.  Loudoun County Fire and Resc…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Takoma Park, MD
Breaking News
Takoma Park ‘Peeping Tom’ Busted After Disguising Himself As Woman In Locker Rooms, Police Say Takoma Park ‘Peeping Tom’ Busted After Disguising Himself As Woman In Locker Rooms, Police Say Takoma Park ‘Peeping Tom’ Busted After Disguising Himself As Woman In Locker Rooms, Police Say
Takoma Park ‘Peeping Tom’ Busted After Disguising Himself As Woman In Locker Rooms, Police Say A Peeping Tom who posed as a woman to spy on women in gym locker rooms has been apprehended, authorities announced. Takoma Park resident Tshikundi Taty, 44, is facing charges after being caught recording women showering inside gym bathrooms this month — now, investigators from the Montgomery County Department of Police are concerned there are additional victims. Investigators say that on Friday, Oct. 10, officers were called to OneLife Fitness Club in the 20500 block of Seneca Meadows Parkway in Germantown after a woman reported an unknown suspect entered the women’s locker room a…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials
Waldorf Hookah Lounge Fire Ruled Arson After Blaze Intentionally Set Inside: Officials A late-night fire at a popular Charles County hookah lounge was ruled incendiary after investigators determined someone deliberately set the blaze inside the business, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Firefighters were called around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, October 30, to the Pasha Lounge on Old Washington Road in Waldorf, where smoke was pouring from the front of the cigar and hookah spot, officials said. When crews from the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department arrived, they found the front door shattered and flames burning inside.  Nearly three dozen firefighters responded, br…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police
Men Busted With Pounds Of Meth, Fentanyl, And MDMA In Hagerstown Apartment Raid: Police Two men from Maryland are behind bars after police found a massive stash of meth, fentanyl, and other drugs during a raid at a Washington County apartment, authorities announced. On Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, the Washington County Narcotics Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant on Wayside Avenue in Hagerstown, with help from the Maryland State Police and local police. Inside, agents uncovered what they described as a large-scale drug operation — seizing approximately 2.2 pounds of methamphetamine, 32 grams of fentanyl, 450 grams of MDMA, 99 grams of cocaine, and $4,589 in cash. Two …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
On Your Side
End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly
End of an Era: Beloved Bethesda Restaurant Woodmont Grill Closes Its Doors Suddenly A longtime staple of the DMV dining scene has unexpectedly shuttered its doors.  Woodmont Grill on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda announced that it has closed in Montgomery County after more than a two decades serving diners in the region. The owners shared the surprising news on the restaurant's website. "Woodmont Grill is now closed," they wrote. "Thank you for choosing us as a dining destination and allowing us to be a part of your lives with many fond memories of good food and cheer." "We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again at one of our other restaurants." Originally bra…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Your Community
Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle
Fifteen Years Later, Fairfax County Cat Reunited With Family Thanks To Microchip Miracle Flora just proved that cats really do have nine lives — and one heck of a memory. A long-lost family pet from Virginia has been reunited with her original family 15 years after vanishing as a kitten, thanks to the tiniest piece of technology with the biggest heart: a microchip. According to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, Flora disappeared more than a decade ago when her family moved apartments.  One minute she was a playful kitten exploring boxes; the next, she was gone — no trace, no sightings, no closure. Her family searched everywhere, fearing she’d slipped out during the move…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Aberdeen, MD
Your Community
Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’
Maryland Senate President Rules Out Mid-Cycle Redistricting, Calls Risks ‘Too High’ Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson says the chamber will not move forward with mid-cycle congressional redistricting, calling the potential risks “too high” and the possible consequences for Democrats “catastrophic.” In a letter sent to members of his caucus, Ferguson said that after consulting with senators, he concluded that “the Senate is choosing not to move forward with mid-cycle congressional redistricting.” He cited several reasons — legal uncertainty, potential election delays, and the risk of triggering wider partisan retaliation across the country. “Despite deeply shared fru…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Pasadena-Lake Shore, MD
Breaking News
Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says
Pasadena Man Threatened Judges, PO Before Standoff, Arrest, Sheriff Says A Maryland man who allegedly threatened judges and his probation officer learned the hard way that deputies don’t take kindly to those kinds of promises. Members of the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Unit and Criminal Apprehension Team rolled up to the 1600 block of Twickenham Road around 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, to serve a violation of probation warrant on 37-year-old Joseph Scardina, officials said. That warrant was issued after Scardina allegedly made threats to injure or kill a state official, including his probation officer and county judges, according to th…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Centreville, VA
Breaking News
Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say
Centreville Man Goes Wild: Tried To Headbutt Officer, Kick Cruiser Partition, Police Say A man accused of running into traffic in Virginia allegedly tried to headbutt an officer, kick out a cruiser partition, and fight his way out of a patrol car before being restrained, police said. It happened shortly after 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, near James Madison Highway and Heathcote Boulevard in Haymarket, where officers found 27-year-old Gavin Michael Eveker of Centreville behaving erratically in the roadway, according to Prince William County Police. Investigators said Eveker appeared to be under the influence and had also damaged property at a nearby business before officers arriv…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 444 of 3978 442 443 444 445 446 Next
4,431 - 4,440 of 39,777 articles