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

Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Bluff Busted: Frederick Man, 65, Fakes Gun In Sheetz Robbery Before Arrest, Sheriff Says Bluff Busted: Frederick Man, 65, Fakes Gun In Sheetz Robbery Before Arrest, Sheriff Says Bluff Busted: Frederick Man, 65, Fakes Gun In Sheetz Robbery Before Arrest, Sheriff Says
Bluff Busted: Frederick Man, 65, Fakes Gun In Sheetz Robbery Before Arrest, Sheriff Says What started as a scary stickup at a Maryland Sheetz ended with a 65-year-old man in cuffs, police said. Deputies with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Sheetz at 6050 Buckeystown Pike just after 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, for a reported armed robbery. Investigators said Jerry Garrett Piercy walked in, shoved what looked like a gun under his shirt, threatened the clerk, and demanded cash before bolting out the door. A coordinated search between sheriff’s deputies and Frederick Police officers quickly locked down the area. Minutes later, officers spotted a man ma…

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by Zak Failla
College Park, MD
Your Community
Ex-Terp, MLB Rookie Skips Cubs Game For Charlie Kirk’s Funeral After Assassination Ex-Terp, MLB Rookie Skips Cubs Game For Charlie Kirk’s Funeral After Assassination Ex-Terp, MLB Rookie Skips Cubs Game For Charlie Kirk’s Funeral After Assassination
Ex-Terp, MLB Rookie Skips Cubs Game For Charlie Kirk’s Funeral After Assassination Matt Shaw, the Chicago Cubs' rookie third baseman, had a curious reason for missing Sunday's game as his team surges toward the playoffs.  The University of Maryland alum who hails from Springfield, Massachusetts, skipped out on the game on Sunday, Sept. 20, to attend right-wing activist Charlie Kirk's memorial service after he was assassinated earlier this month. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been accused of fatally shooting Kirk at Utah Valley University during a campus event. He is being held at the Utah County Jail without bail. Shaw missed the Cubs game — who have a playoff spot wrappe…

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by Zak Failla
National Interest
Savage Snub: Trump Boots Biden From White House Wall, Replaces Him With Autopen Savage Snub: Trump Boots Biden From White House Wall, Replaces Him With Autopen Savage Snub: Trump Boots Biden From White House Wall, Replaces Him With Autopen
Savage Snub: Trump Boots Biden From White House Wall, Replaces Him With Autopen One of these things is not like the others... One of these things just doesn't belong. President Donald Trump's administration took trolling to a new level with new photos and video of the "Presidential Walk of Fame" at the White House. Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications adviser, made a viral post on X Wednesday afternoon that highlights all of the previous presidents. Except one. President Joe Biden's black and white portrait was conspicuously replaced by a photo of the former commander-in-chief's infamous autopen in place of the Delaware native's …

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Obituaries
‘His Loss Leaves A Void’: Tributes Pour In For Retired PG County Firefighter Killed In Crash ‘His Loss Leaves A Void’: Tributes Pour In For Retired PG County Firefighter Killed In Crash ‘His Loss Leaves A Void’: Tributes Pour In For Retired PG County Firefighter Killed In Crash
‘His Loss Leaves A Void’: Tributes Pour In For Retired PG County Firefighter Killed In Crash A Maryland family is in mourning after a retired firefighter was killed in a tragic car crash. Marshall Milam II is being remembered as "devoted husband, father, brother, son, and friend" following the car accident on Thursday, Sept. 18 that left his family reeling. "My brother was more than family, he was a constant source of love, laughter, and strength," Nate Milam posted on Facebook. "He was a loving husband, a devoted father, and a man who gave so much of himself to everyone around him."  "His loss leaves a void that words can never truly capture."  Facebook via Nate Milan Milam, 5…

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by Zak Failla
Chantilly, VA
Breaking News
DC Mom Dead, Son Nabbed In Chantilly Hours After Gruesome Stabbing: Feds DC Mom Dead, Son Nabbed In Chantilly Hours After Gruesome Stabbing: Feds DC Mom Dead, Son Nabbed In Chantilly Hours After Gruesome Stabbing: Feds
DC Mom Dead, Son Nabbed In Chantilly Hours After Gruesome Stabbing: Feds A DC man stabbed his mother to death inside their shared home before fleeing to Virginia, where he was caught hours later, according to federal authorities. Ricardo Botts, 36, has been charged with the murder of his mother, 66-year-old Pamela Botts, during an early morning domestic disturbance, police said. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department were called shortly before 4 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, to a home in the 2100 block of 32nd Place SE to probe a reported assault. Upon arrival, officers found Pamela Botts suffering from multiple stab wounds. She was rushed by DC Fire and EMS…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Alexandria Woman Struck Twice — First By Mercedes, Then By Police Cruiser: Cops Alexandria Woman Struck Twice — First By Mercedes, Then By Police Cruiser: Cops Alexandria Woman Struck Twice — First By Mercedes, Then By Police Cruiser: Cops
Alexandria Woman Struck Twice — First By Mercedes, Then By Police Cruiser: Cops A 62-year-old Virginia woman is dead after being struck by a driver in a Mercedes — then hit again by a responding officer investigating the hit-and-run, authorities announced. Alexandria resident Trina Jones has been identified by the Fairfax County Police Department as the pedestrian who was struck and killed during a strange sequence that played out shortly before 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, on Richmond Highway near Belford Drive. Witnesses told detectives a black 2016 Mercedes C300 hit Jones and sped off southbound without stopping. As Jones lay in the roadway, an officer rushing t…

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Mom Snatches Spotsylvania 12-Year-Old, Flees Country In Wild Abduction Case, Sheriff Says Mom Snatches Spotsylvania 12-Year-Old, Flees Country In Wild Abduction Case, Sheriff Says Mom Snatches Spotsylvania 12-Year-Old, Flees Country In Wild Abduction Case, Sheriff Says
Mom Snatches Spotsylvania 12-Year-Old, Flees Country In Wild Abduction Case, Sheriff Says A Virginia mom is accused of abducting her 12-year-old daughter during a visit and fleeing the country, sparking a federal search, officials say. Olivia Santos is wanted for abduction by a parent after allegedly taking her daughter, Aurora Hilton — who has been officially reported missing — according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, Sept. 24.  Officials say that earlier this week, the sheriff's office received a report of a missing child. The caller advised that she had full custody of a 12-year-old child from Spotsylvania, but her mother was permitted visitation. …

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
On Your Side
$2M Powerball Shock: Spotsylvania Woman Thought She Misread Winning Ticket $2M Powerball Shock: Spotsylvania Woman Thought She Misread Winning Ticket $2M Powerball Shock: Spotsylvania Woman Thought She Misread Winning Ticket
$2M Powerball Shock: Spotsylvania Woman Thought She Misread Winning Ticket A Spotsylvania woman just hit the jackpot — almost literally — after cashing in a $2 million Powerball ticket, Virginia Lottery officials announced. The woman, who chose to remain anonymous as allowed under state law, told Lottery officials she usually only plays when the jackpot is massive.  This time, it paid off. “I kept thinking I was looking at it wrong,” she said after realizing her ticket matched the first five numbers in the Wednesday, Aug. 27, drawing. The winning numbers: 9-12-22-41-61, with a Powerball of 25. Her ticket, purchased at Weis Market on Courthouse Road in…

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by Zak Failla
Lutherville-Timonium, MD
Breaking News
Weeklong Manhunt Ends With Arrest In Timonium Murder: Baltimore County Police Weeklong Manhunt Ends With Arrest In Timonium Murder: Baltimore County Police Weeklong Manhunt Ends With Arrest In Timonium Murder: Baltimore County Police
Weeklong Manhunt Ends With Arrest In Timonium Murder: Baltimore County Police A weeklong manhunt has ended with the arrest of a 65-year-old man accused of killing a woman in Maryland, authorities announced. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Baltimore County Police said homicide detectives charged Karl Geiger, 65, with first-degree murder in connection with the Sept. 15 killing of 69-year-old Patricia Watson-Geiger. Police said officers were called to the 1200 block of Oakcroft Drive in Timonium around 8:25 p.m. on Sept. 15, where they found Watson-Geiger with “apparent trauma to the upper body.”  She was pronounced dead at the scene. Geiger was later identified as the s…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
Shots Fired Near Tyler Heights Elementary Forces Annapolis Schools Into Secure Mode Shots Fired Near Tyler Heights Elementary Forces Annapolis Schools Into Secure Mode Shots Fired Near Tyler Heights Elementary Forces Annapolis Schools Into Secure Mode
Shots Fired Near Tyler Heights Elementary Forces Annapolis Schools Into Secure Mode Reports of shots fired near Tyler Heights Elementary sent some schools in Anne Arundel County into “secure mode” late Wednesday morning, police said. The Annapolis Police Department said officers responded around 10:58 a.m. Sept. 24, to the area of Tyler Avenue after reports of gunfire. While the incident happened close to Tyler Heights Elementary, investigators stressed that it was not school-related and there was no immediate threat to students. Still, Anne Arundel County Public Schools placed all Annapolis cluster schools — except Annapolis High — in secure mode “out of an abundance of …

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by Zak Failla
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