Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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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

Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Hiker Seriously Hurt After Falling On Billy Goat Trail A In Great Falls, Officials Say Hiker Seriously Hurt After Falling On Billy Goat Trail A In Great Falls, Officials Say Hiker Seriously Hurt After Falling On Billy Goat Trail A In Great Falls, Officials Say
Hiker Seriously Hurt After Falling On Billy Goat Trail A In Great Falls, Officials Say A hiker was seriously injured after falling along the Billy Goat Trail A near Great Falls on Monday, Oct. 13, prompting a major rescue operation involving multiple agencies, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). Crews were called around 1:00 p.m. to the C&O Canal National Historical Park after reports of an injured person on the rocky “Traverse” section of the trail, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said. “Rescue @COcanalNPS Billy Goat Trail A, Great Falls, MD, Potomac River, injured person from a fall,” Piringer posted. Firefighters and swift-water rescue tea…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
What Started As A Search For Missing UVA Student Ends With Tragedy In Slovenia What Started As A Search For Missing UVA Student Ends With Tragedy In Slovenia What Started As A Search For Missing UVA Student Ends With Tragedy In Slovenia
What Started As A Search For Missing UVA Student Ends With Tragedy In Slovenia The search for a missing 20-year-old University of Virginia student ended in tragedy when his body was found in Slovenia, his family confirmed. A massive search was launched for Gunnar Kennedy earlier this month after he was reported missing during a mountain-climbing trip on Saturday, Oct. 4. Following an extensive search, friends of the family said that Kennedy's body was recovered days later, on Oct. 9, in Slovenia and taken to the US Embassy until he could be returned home. "In the afternoon of October 9 in Slovenia, mountain search and rescue teams were able to locate Gunnar but he di…

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by Zak Failla
Severn, MD
Breaking News
Severn Motorcyclist, 20, Killed After Slamming Into Tree In Glen Burnie, Police Say Severn Motorcyclist, 20, Killed After Slamming Into Tree In Glen Burnie, Police Say Severn Motorcyclist, 20, Killed After Slamming Into Tree In Glen Burnie, Police Say
Severn Motorcyclist, 20, Killed After Slamming Into Tree In Glen Burnie, Police Say A 20-year-old motorcyclist is dead in Maryland after police say he lost control and slammed into a tree on Sunday. Severn resident Noah Tabor Blackstone has been identified as the rider who was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Oct. 12 in Glen Burnie. According to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, officers were called at around 6:20 p.m. to investigate a motorcycle crash on Hospital Drive near Mountain Ridge Court. Investigators say that Blackstone was riding his 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 west on Hospital Drive when he lost control and failed to negotiate a curve.  He and the m…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say
All Smiles: Intoxicated Woodbridge Woman Burglarized Neighbor's Virginia Apartment, Police Say A Virginia woman accused of breaking into a neighbor’s apartment and grabbing an officer during her arrest didn’t seem too bothered about it afterward. Police say Abnet Tseggiai, 39, was all smiles in her booking photo after being taken into custody on Saturday, Oct. 11, following a late-night incident at the Landing at Mason’s Bridge Apartments in Woodbridge. According to the Prince William County Police Department, officers were called around 9:36 p.m. to investigate a reported burglary.  When they arrived, they found a woman “who appeared intoxicated” inside a neighboring apartment…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Obituaries
‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash ‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash ‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash
‘She Was An Amazing Artist’: Community Remembers Summer Lim, 11, After Aspen Hill Bus Crash More than $75,000 has been raised for the family of 11-year-old Summer Lim, who was struck and killed by a school bus in Maryland. Lim was struck by a Montgomery County Public Schools bus shortly before 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, while she was riding her bike home from Earle B. Wood Middle School. Investigators say that a 2019 Thomas school bus was traveling eastbound on Bauer Drive and was turning right onto southbound Russett Road when the crash happened. Lim was also traveling eastbound on Bauer Drive when the collision occurred. She was later found in the back of the bus. She was…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Obituaries
‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness ‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness ‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness
‘A Hard-Fought Battle’: PG County Officer Alex Belcher Remembered For Service And Kindness The Prince George’s County Police Department is mourning one of its own after Officer First Class Alex Belcher — a seven-year veteran remembered for his warmth, dedication, and quiet strength — passed away on Oct. 8, following what the department called “a hard-fought medical battle.” Belcher, 32, spent his entire career serving District I in Hyattsville, most recently with Shift 4, Squad 42, and was a proud member of Academy Session 139. Belcher earned multiple letters of commendation, a Unit Citation, and a Life Saving Award. He was named Officer of the Month multiple times and was recen…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff
Virginia Trooper Airlifted After Elderly Driver Slams Into Police Cars On Highway: Sheriff A Virginia driver is facing charges after authorities say he plowed into two state police vehicles — seriously injuring a trooper who had been helping with a disabled tractor-trailer on the side of the highway. The crash happened shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, along the southbound lanes of US Highway 29 in Pittsylvania County, according to Virginia State Police. Two troopers were stopped with their emergency lights flashing, helping a disabled tractor-trailer on the shoulder when a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser suddenly slammed into the rear patrol car. The impact forced that cruiser f…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff
Virginia Detectives Flip Script On Bronx Scammer Who Tried To Con 82-Year-Old Woman: Sheriff An alleged conman from New York posing as a lawyer who tried to bilk an elderly Virginia woman out of thousands of dollars was arrested after being conned himself in Pennsylvania, police say. Bronx native Yordanys Rodriguez, 33, is behind bars in Chester, following an investigation by the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office into a botched scheme targeting an 82-year-old woman for $20,000. Detectives say it started when the Virginia woman got a phone call from someone claiming to be an attorney named “Harvey Goldman,” who said her son had been locked up on serious charges and needed bail m…

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by Zak Failla
Essex, MD
Breaking News
Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say
Late-Night Essex Crash Leaves Two Teens Dead After Car Hits Tree, Police Say Two teens were killed when a car veered off the road and slammed into a tree in Essex overnight, according to Baltimore County Police. The victims have been identified as 18-year-old Austin Lautenschlager and 19-year-old David Santos III, who were both pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Officers were called around 12:50 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, to the 2200 block of Holly Neck Road for a reported single-vehicle crash involving a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, according to investigators. Detectives determined the Malibu had been traveling westbound when it left the roadway and struck at least o…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing
Baltimore Man With Long Rap Sheet Charged With Murder In 5th Street Killing A 45-year-old Baltimore man with a long criminal history has been charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting that claimed the life of another man in the city’s Southern District, police announced Saturday, Oct. 11. According to the Baltimore Police Department, Devin Ash was arrested in the killing of 35-year-old Marlon Pugh, who was gunned down on Sept. 30, in the 3700 block of 5th Street. Officers were called to the area around 3:27 p.m. for a report of gunfire.  When they arrived, they found Pugh suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his body. He was transported to…

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by Zak Failla
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