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

College Park, MD
Your Community
Viral Illness Spreads In PG County Schools As Dozens Report Hand, Foot, And Mouth Cases Viral Illness Spreads In PG County Schools As Dozens Report Hand, Foot, And Mouth Cases Viral Illness Spreads In PG County Schools As Dozens Report Hand, Foot, And Mouth Cases
Viral Illness Spreads In PG County Schools As Dozens Report Hand, Foot, And Mouth Cases A viral illness is spreading through classrooms in Prince George’s County, with more than 40 schools reporting cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease, according to district officials. Prince George’s County Public Schools said as of Thursday, Oct. 23, over 40 schools have confirmed cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).  The viral illness typically affects young children, but officials warned that anyone can get it. Symptoms include fever, poor appetite, sore throat, and other cold-like signs.  Officials said those may appear one to two days before painful mouth sores an…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Fast Arrest: 48-Year-Old Charged With Murder After Fatal Baltimore Shooting, Police Say Fast Arrest: 48-Year-Old Charged With Murder After Fatal Baltimore Shooting, Police Say Fast Arrest: 48-Year-Old Charged With Murder After Fatal Baltimore Shooting, Police Say
Fast Arrest: 48-Year-Old Charged With Murder After Fatal Baltimore Shooting, Police Say A 48-year-old man is behind bars after a deadly shooting in Maryland, police announced. Detectives arrested Gerard Morris in connection with the killing of 42-year-old Eugene Henry, who was found shot on Thursday, Oct. 23, in the 4100 block of Hyden Court, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Officers were called to the scene around 10:26 a.m. and found Henry suffering from gunshot wounds.  Medics rushed him to a local hospital, where he later died. Shortly after the shooting, police located Morris in the 800 block of Glade Court and took him into custody without incident. …

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by Zak Failla
Great Falls, VA
Obituaries
‘She’s Still Changing The World’: Virginia Teen’s Final Gift Saves Lives After Death ‘She’s Still Changing The World’: Virginia Teen’s Final Gift Saves Lives After Death ‘She’s Still Changing The World’: Virginia Teen’s Final Gift Saves Lives After Death
‘She’s Still Changing The World’: Virginia Teen’s Final Gift Saves Lives After Death Even in death, Aletheia Wren “Allie” Wiley-Jimenez is changing the world. The 13-year-old was officially declared dead at 5:05 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, according to her mother, Elizabeth Wiley, who said her daughter’s final act reflected the same determination and courage that defined her short but remarkable life. “The fiercest, most consistent soul who somehow managed always to know her own mind is still changing the world,” her mother wrote.  “As many of you know, she was never shy about her beliefs and desires, so she will not only be an organ and tissue donor but also contribute to …

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Deputies Named After Shooting Woman Who Pointed Gun During Welfare Check In Lexington Park Deputies Named After Shooting Woman Who Pointed Gun During Welfare Check In Lexington Park Deputies Named After Shooting Woman Who Pointed Gun During Welfare Check In Lexington Park
Deputies Named After Shooting Woman Who Pointed Gun During Welfare Check In Lexington Park New details have been released after a 34-year-old woman was shot by sheriff's deputies after pointing a gun during a welfare check in Southern Maryland, officials say. Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were called shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 to a Lexington Park home after a man told authorities that his roommate left the home armed with his gun. For more than an hour, deputies canvassed the area before locating 34-year-old Paige Taylor Hartness around 9:11 p.m. sitting in a vehicle parked at MedStar Health on East Run Drive. MedStar Health, 45870…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
WATCH: ICE Take Down Violent El Salvador Fugitive In Arlington After Four Illegal US Entries WATCH: ICE Take Down Violent El Salvador Fugitive In Arlington After Four Illegal US Entries WATCH: ICE Take Down Violent El Salvador Fugitive In Arlington After Four Illegal US Entries
Watch: ICE Take Down Violent El Salvador Fugitive In Arlington After Four Illegal US Entries Federal agents took down a violent repeat offender from El Salvador in Virginia after he illegally entered the US for the fourth time, authorities said. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that Carlos Ramirez-Guzman was arrested on Oct. 17 in Arlington. Ramirez-Guzman, a citizen of El Salvador, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer and domestic battery, according to ICE.  Officials said the operation was carried out with assistance from the FBI and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Man Armed With Boxcutter Tased After Violent Metro Meltdown In Arlington, Police Say Man Armed With Boxcutter Tased After Violent Metro Meltdown In Arlington, Police Say Man Armed With Boxcutter Tased After Violent Metro Meltdown In Arlington, Police Say
Man Armed With Boxcutter Tased After Violent Metro Meltdown In Arlington, Police Say Commuters got more than a scare on their Saturday morning ride in Virginia when police say a man armed with a boxcutter went on a violent outburst inside a Metro station — ignoring officers’ commands before being tased and taken down. The chaos unfolded around 6:52 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Ballston-MU Metro Station in the 4200 block of Fairfax Drive in Arlington, according to the police department. Officers were dispatched after reports of a “disorderly individual throwing items at people” inside the station.  A lookout was broadcast, and an officer soon spotted the suspect —…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Man Who Confessed To Mom After Shooting Wife In Bed Faces Life Behind Bars Waldorf Man Who Confessed To Mom After Shooting Wife In Bed Faces Life Behind Bars Waldorf Man Who Confessed To Mom After Shooting Wife In Bed Faces Life Behind Bars
Waldorf Man Who Confessed To Mom After Shooting Wife In Bed Faces Life Behind Bars A Maryland man who directed detectives to the home where he killed his wife may spend the rest of his life in prison. Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, has been convicted of murder in connection with the 2022 shooting death of his wife, Shawnda Nicole Wood, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 27. On Dec. 9, 2022, Wood and his cousin walked into the Charles County Sheriff's Office in Waldorf to request a welfare check at his home. Prosecutors said that Wood told an investigator that he had been suicidal the night before, requested a welfare check, and asked for…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Frederick Townhome Collapses In Fierce Overnight Fire, 9 Displaced (PHOTOS) Frederick Townhome Collapses In Fierce Overnight Fire, 9 Displaced (PHOTOS) Frederick Townhome Collapses In Fierce Overnight Fire, 9 Displaced (PHOTOS)
Frederick Townhome Collapses In Fierce Overnight Fire, 9 Displaced (Photos) A Maryland townhouse exploded into a wall of flames early Sunday, collapsing within minutes as firefighters fought to keep the inferno from spreading through the row. Crews were called to the 1600 block of Jennings Court around 12:51 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, Frederick County Fire and Rescue officials said.  Frederick County Fire and Rescue When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from the middle-of-the-row townhouse, prompting command to call a second alarm as smoke poured into adjoining units. Frederick County Fire and Rescue Within minutes, the back of the building gave w…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Man Dead, Woman Critical After Deputies Hear Gunshot Inside Spotsylvania Home, Sheriff Says Man Dead, Woman Critical After Deputies Hear Gunshot Inside Spotsylvania Home, Sheriff Says Man Dead, Woman Critical After Deputies Hear Gunshot Inside Spotsylvania Home, Sheriff Says
Man Dead, Woman Critical After Deputies Hear Gunshot Inside Spotsylvania Home, Sheriff Says New details have been released by the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office after a man was killed and a woman critically injured in a double shooting over the weekend. Shortly after 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, deputies were called to conduct a welfare check in the 9800 block of Fendale Lane, according to officials. Upon arrival, deputies attempted to make contact at the home and heard a single gunshot, investigators said.  They then established a perimeter around the home until a SWAT team from the sheriff's office arrived to breach the residence. Inside, they found a 71-year-old man and…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
On Your Side
$2M Powerball Winner Bought Ticket At Virginia Wawa — Check Your Numbers $2M Powerball Winner Bought Ticket At Virginia Wawa — Check Your Numbers $2M Powerball Winner Bought Ticket At Virginia Wawa — Check Your Numbers
$2M Powerball Winner Bought Ticket At Virginia Wawa — Check Your Numbers Someone in Virginia just turned a Wawa run into $2 million. The lucky ticket was sold at the Wawa at 7316 Forest Hill Ave. in Richmond, according to the Virginia Lottery.  It matched the first five numbers in Saturday night’s (Oct. 25) Powerball drawing — 2, 12, 22, 39, and 67 — missing only the Powerball number, 15. Normally, that combo would score a $1 million prize.  But whoever bought this ticket spent an extra dollar on the Power Play, which doubled the winnings to a whopping $2 million. This was the only ticket in Virginia to match the first five numbers and one of just t…

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by Zak Failla
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