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

Prince Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Car Crashes Straight Into Verizon Store, Injures 88-Year-Old Woman In Calvert County: Officials Car Crashes Straight Into Verizon Store, Injures 88-Year-Old Woman In Calvert County: Officials Car Crashes Straight Into Verizon Store, Injures 88-Year-Old Woman In Calvert County: Officials
Car Crashes Straight Into Verizon Store, Injures 88-Year-Old Woman In Calvert County: Officials A Verizon store in Calvert County turned into a crash scene Tuesday morning after a car plowed straight through its front window — injuring an 88-year-old woman inside, according to police. Troopers from the Maryland State Police Prince Frederick Barrack responded around 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 to the 300 block of Market Square after a Toyota Camry smashed into the Verizon Wireless store, MSP said. According to a preliminary investigation, an 84-year-old man was parked in front of the business when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle accelerated, jumped the curb, and crashed into the building, …

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by Zak Failla
Leesburg, VA
Breaking News
Two Loudon County Homes Go Up In Flames Overnight — Candle And Chimney To Blame, Officials Say Two Loudon County Homes Go Up In Flames Overnight — Candle And Chimney To Blame, Officials Say Two Loudon County Homes Go Up In Flames Overnight — Candle And Chimney To Blame, Officials Say
Two Loudon County Homes Go Up In Flames Overnight — Candle And Chimney To Blame, Officials Say Two late-night fires lit up Loudoun County — one sparked by unattended candles inside an Aldie home, another by a chimney gone wrong in Purcellville — keeping fire crews busy overnight. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue crews said firefighters responded to two separate residential fires in the Little River and Catoctin districts between Monday night, Oct 20, and early Tuesday, Oct 21.  No injuries were reported, but both blazes caused heavy damage and displaced several residents. The first fire broke out around 9:23 p.m. Monday in the 24000 block of Yellow Poplar Place in Aldie, where sm…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Second Time’s Not the Charm: Man Busted After Botched Break-In, Assault, Spotsy Sheriff Says Second Time’s Not the Charm: Man Busted After Botched Break-In, Assault, Spotsy Sheriff Says Second Time’s Not the Charm: Man Busted After Botched Break-In, Assault, Spotsy Sheriff Says
Second Time’s Not the Charm: Man Busted After Botched Break-In, Assault, Spotsy Sheriff Says The second time wasn't the charm for a 43-year-old Virginia man who is behind bars after breaking into a home and assaulting a homeowner, police say. Manassas resident Allen Colbert Jr. is facing charges after being apprehended following an attempted burglary, and then a botched one, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called at around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, to the 9100 block of Wood Creek Circle, where a resident reported that a man had just broken into his home and assaulted him. Investigators say the victim fought off the suspect — later identified as Co…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Bird Flu Blamed As Dead Vultures Turn Up Across Virginia: ‘Don’t Touch Them,’ Officials Warn Bird Flu Blamed As Dead Vultures Turn Up Across Virginia: ‘Don’t Touch Them,’ Officials Warn Bird Flu Blamed As Dead Vultures Turn Up Across Virginia: ‘Don’t Touch Them,’ Officials Warn
Bird Flu Blamed As Dead Vultures Turn Up Across Virginia: ‘Don’t Touch Them,’ Officials Warn Something’s killing vultures across Virginia — and wildlife officials say it’s likely a deadly strain of bird flu that could soon spread to other species. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources says it’s investigating a wave of dead black vultures reported in several parts of the state, including counties in Southwest Virginia.  Early testing points to H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, a fast-moving strain of bird flu that officials warn could spread to other wild species as migration ramps up, officials said. While the virus appears to be hitting black vultures hardest r…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Obituaries
Montgomery County Firefighter, Marine Chris Kindel Remembered After Courageous Cancer Battle Montgomery County Firefighter, Marine Chris Kindel Remembered After Courageous Cancer Battle Montgomery County Firefighter, Marine Chris Kindel Remembered After Courageous Cancer Battle
Montgomery County Firefighter, Marine Chris Kindel Remembered After Courageous Cancer Battle A decorated firefighter and former Marine is being remembered across Maryland following his death. Funeral arrangements have been set for Montgomery County Firefighter Chris Kindel, who died after a battle with cancer. Chris Kindel’s Funeral Arrangements 💔 Posted by Mandi Kindel on Monday, October 20, 2025 A viewing has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church on Tom Fox Avenue in Poolesville, followed by a funeral the next day.  Chris Kindel Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Following his death, tributes have poured in fo…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Teen Who Helped Steal Woman’s Car At Waldorf Food Lion, Fled Into DC, Learns His Fate Maryland Teen Who Helped Steal Woman’s Car At Waldorf Food Lion, Fled Into DC, Learns His Fate Maryland Teen Who Helped Steal Woman’s Car At Waldorf Food Lion, Fled Into DC, Learns His Fate
Maryland Teen Who Helped Steal Woman’s Car At Waldorf Food Lion, Fled Into DC, Learns His Fate A quick grocery run turned into a nightmare for a Maryland woman when two teens — one with a gun — pounced in broad daylight. The teen who teamed up with an armed accomplice to carjack a woman outside a Waldorf Food Lion before leading police on a multi-jurisdiction chase into DC has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, according to the Charles County State's Attorney's Office. A judge sentenced 19-year-old Nasir Maurice Cooper to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to commit carjacking, authorities announced. Upon release, Cooper will serve five years of supervised probation — …

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by Zak Failla
Hagerstown, MD
Breaking News
‘Intentional Acts’: Hagerstown Man Accused Of Setting Fires Outside Wonder Book ‘Intentional Acts’: Hagerstown Man Accused Of Setting Fires Outside Wonder Book ‘Intentional Acts’: Hagerstown Man Accused Of Setting Fires Outside Wonder Book
‘Intentional Acts’: Hagerstown Man Accused Of Setting Fires Outside Wonder Book A Hagerstown man is behind bars after investigators say he intentionally set two fires outside a longtime Washington County bookstore. At 10:40 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, firefighters responded to Wonder Book and Video on Dual Highway after witnesses reported flames outside the main entrance, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said.  Crews arrived to find two separate fires burning just feet from the front doors and quickly extinguished them before the blaze spread inside. Investigators later determined both fires were intentionally set. According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, witnesses…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
‘Lovin’ It?’ Man Demands Food, Tries To Rob Woodbridge McDonald’s, Police Say ‘Lovin’ It?’ Man Demands Food, Tries To Rob Woodbridge McDonald’s, Police Say ‘Lovin’ It?’ Man Demands Food, Tries To Rob Woodbridge McDonald’s, Police Say
‘Lovin’ It?’ Man Demands Food, Tries To Rob Woodbridge McDonald’s, Police Say A Virginia man apparently wasn’t “lovin’ it” when he showed up at a McDonald’s demanding food — then tried to rob the place, police said. Shan Ahmed Raja, 28, who has no known address, was hungry, and made a scene late on Monday afternoon during a bizarre, botched robbery.  Officers were called to the fast-food spot on Richmond Highway in Woodbridge around 5:27 p.m. on Oct. 20, after reports of a man threatening employees and trying to break into a cash register, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators said the suspect, later identified as Raja, who wal…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Obituaries
‘He’s a Fighter’: Maryland Man Struck By Hit-Run Driver After Crash Keeps Defying the Odds ‘He’s a Fighter’: Maryland Man Struck By Hit-Run Driver After Crash Keeps Defying the Odds ‘He’s a Fighter’: Maryland Man Struck By Hit-Run Driver After Crash Keeps Defying the Odds
‘He’s a Fighter’: Maryland Man Struck By Hit-Run Driver After Crash Keeps Defying the Odds Ryan Dent is a fighter. On Saturday, Oct. 18, Dent was involved in a crash on Route 51 in Allegany County when he rolled over in the area of Lower Town Creek Road, according to police. The driver was able to extract himself from the vehicle, but while he was standing in the roadway being assisted by other motorists, a light-colored pickup truck drove by and struck Dent, leaving him with catastrophic injuries. Police said that after striking him, the truck driver turned around and fled in the opposite direction on Route 51. Dent was airlifted to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Pennsyl…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Car Crashes Through Spotsylvania Pawn Shop In 27-Second Smash-And-Grab Caught On Cam: Sheriff Car Crashes Through Spotsylvania Pawn Shop In 27-Second Smash-And-Grab Caught On Cam: Sheriff Car Crashes Through Spotsylvania Pawn Shop In 27-Second Smash-And-Grab Caught On Cam: Sheriff
Car Crashes Through Spotsylvania Pawn Shop In 27-Second Smash-And-Grab Caught On Cam: Sheriff Gone in 27 seconds. An investigation has been launched in Virginia following an early-morning smash-and-grab burglary where suspects in a sedan may have been trying to steal guns from a pawn shop. It all took place in less than 30 seconds, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. Shortly before 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, a deputy from the sheriff's office on patrol at the Four Mile Fork Shopping Center saw a suspicious vehicle with its headlights on and visible front-end damage. Google Maps street view Moments later, an alarm blared from a nearby pawn shop.  W…

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by Zak Failla
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