Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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

Racist Stafford Man Busted By Drone After Late-Night Break-In Attempt: Sheriff Racist Stafford Man Busted By Drone After Late-Night Break-In Attempt: Sheriff Racist Stafford Man Busted By Drone After Late-Night Break-In Attempt: Sheriff
Racist Stafford Man Busted By Drone After Late-Night Break-In Attempt: Sheriff An allegedly racist Virginia man learned the hard way that there’s no running from deputies—or their drone—after a late-night break-in attempt, authorities said. Stafford resident Joseph Heieck, 33, tried to escape, but was ultimately arrested after allegedly attempting to break into a neighbor's home. Deputies responded to Oak Grove Lane around 11:25 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, for reports of a man trying to force his way into the back door of a home, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The homeowners told deputies that a neighbor had come to the property unannounced and att…
7-Eleven To Pay $1.2M For Selling Illegal Vapes Near DC-Area Schools: AG 7-Eleven To Pay $1.2M For Selling Illegal Vapes Near DC-Area Schools: AG 7-Eleven To Pay $1.2M For Selling Illegal Vapes Near DC-Area Schools: AG
7-Eleven To Pay $1.2M For Selling Illegal Vapes Near Dc-area Schools: AG 7-Eleven will pay $1.2 million after investigators say the chain illegally sold thousands of vapes and e-cigarettes near schools in the nation's capital. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced on Tuesday, Sept. 9, that 7-Eleven will pay more than a million dollars to settle allegations that it violated DC’s ban on selling electronic smoking devices within a quarter mile of middle and high schools. According to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), 16 7-Eleven stores located near DC schools sold more than 7,500 vapes and e-cigarettes in violation of the law, which went into effect in O…
Cyber Tip Triggers Arrest Of Elderly Spotsy Man On Child Porn Charges Cyber Tip Triggers Arrest Of Elderly Spotsy Man On Child Porn Charges Cyber Tip Triggers Arrest Of Elderly Spotsy Man On Child Porn Charges
Cyber Tip Triggers Arrest Of Elderly Spotsy Man On Child Porn Charges A 72-year-old Virginia man is facing multiple child pornography charges after investigators acted on a cyber tip, authorities announced. On Monday, Sept. 8, members of the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit received an online tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an account where images of child sexual abuse were being uploaded, stored, and potentially shared, the department said. After investigating and reviewing the reported material, deputies obtained a search warrant at a home on the 9200 block of Thurston Lane in …
Fairfax County Man Threatened To Kill VA Hospital Worker, Mailman In Virginia: Feds Fairfax County Man Threatened To Kill VA Hospital Worker, Mailman In Virginia: Feds Fairfax County Man Threatened To Kill VA Hospital Worker, Mailman In Virginia: Feds
Fairfax County Man Threatened To Kill VA Hospital Worker, Mailman In Virginia: Feds A 57-year-old Fairfax man admitted to making a series of violent and specific threats against federal employees in Virginia and DC, officials announced. Kenneth R. Woodard, 57, of Fairfax, pleaded guilty in Alexandria federal court this week to making threatening communications over interstate commerce and threatening to kill a federal official, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Court documents state that on April 29, Woodard called the Department of Veterans Affairs’ crisis line demanding to speak to a VA hospital police officer he had interacted with earlier in the day. During the c…
Spotsy Man Escapes One I-95 Chase, Gets Soaked And Snagged In The Next: Sheriff Spotsy Man Escapes One I-95 Chase, Gets Soaked And Snagged In The Next: Sheriff Spotsy Man Escapes One I-95 Chase, Gets Soaked And Snagged In The Next: Sheriff
Spotsy Man Escapes One I-95 Chase, Gets Soaked And Snagged In The Next: Sheriff Michael Bailey wasn't fast enough this time. The 22-year-old took deputies on a wild chase down I-95 before ditching his car, running through the woods, and splashing into a creek — only to be caught by deputies waiting for him, officials said. Bailey was arrested after deputies said he tried to outrun them in a silver Volkswagen on Friday, Sept. 5, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the car looked familiar to them, and had already fled from a traffic stop two days earlier. When a deputy spotted it around 4 p.m. on Lafayette Boulevard, Bailey floored it. …
Baltimore County Softball Coach Arrested On Child Rape, Abuse Charges: Police Baltimore County Softball Coach Arrested On Child Rape, Abuse Charges: Police Baltimore County Softball Coach Arrested On Child Rape, Abuse Charges: Police
Baltimore County Softball Coach Arrested On Child Rape, Abuse Charges: Police A longtime Maryland softball coach is behind bars after being arrested on child sex abuse charges, authorities announced. Detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit arrested 59-year-old Michael J. Pusateri on a warrant charging him with rape, assault, sex abuse of a minor, and soliciting child pornography, officials said Tuesday, Sept. 9. Pusateri, of Baltimore County, has an extensive background in coaching, officials said.  Police said he served as a Parkville Recreation Council softball coach, a volunteer assistant coach at Kenwood High Sc…
Trash Truck ‘Explosion’ Blasts Garbage Across Gaithersburg Street, Worker Injured (PHOTOS) Trash Truck ‘Explosion’ Blasts Garbage Across Gaithersburg Street, Worker Injured (PHOTOS) Trash Truck ‘Explosion’ Blasts Garbage Across Gaithersburg Street, Worker Injured (PHOTOS)
Trash Truck ‘Explosion’ Blasts Garbage Across Gaithersburg Street, Worker Injured (Photos) A quiet Maryland neighborhood was rocked Monday evening when what was first reported as a trash truck explosion sent debris flying and left one worker in the hospital, officials said. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews responded to Tulip Drive in Gaithersburg around 7 p.m. Sept. 8 after 911 callers reported a commercial vehicle fire and explosion, according to department spokesperson Pete Piringer. When crews arrived, they found a garbage truck spilling trash and glass across the road.  The scene of the explosion in Montgomery County. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Officials later cla…
Bills Fan Banned Indefinitely After Slapping Lamar Jackson During Shocking Ravens Loss (VIDEO) Bills Fan Banned Indefinitely After Slapping Lamar Jackson During Shocking Ravens Loss (VIDEO) Bills Fan Banned Indefinitely After Slapping Lamar Jackson During Shocking Ravens Loss (VIDEO)
Bills Fan Banned Indefinitely After Slapping Lamar Jackson During Shocking Ravens Loss (Video) The Buffalo Bills' shocking win on Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens came at a cost for one fan who got a little too handsy with some of the players. A fan donning Bills colors was caught on camera striking receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Jackson on the helmet during the dramatic 41-40 win to cap off Sunday's slate of football. The NFL hit back. Now, the fan has been identified and will be "indefinitely banned" from NFL stadiums, according to ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter. The fan who shoved Ravens WR DeAndre Hopkins, and then got shoved by QB Lamar Jackson, has been “indefinitely…
Fire Erupts In Fairfax County Neighborhood As Home Explodes In Flames (PHOTOS) Fire Erupts In Fairfax County Neighborhood As Home Explodes In Flames (PHOTOS) Fire Erupts In Fairfax County Neighborhood As Home Explodes In Flames (PHOTOS)
Fire Erupts In Fairfax County Neighborhood As Home Explodes In Flames (Photos) Flames tore through a Fairfax County home Monday afternoon, sending heavy smoke billowing into the air as dozens of firefighters fought to contain the blaze, officials said. Crews were dispatched around 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 8 to the 12200 block of Folkstone Drive in Herndon, where they arrived to find fire showing from all levels of the home, according to Fairfax County Fire/Rescue. The scene of the Fairfax County fire. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Photos from the scene show walls engulfed in flames and thick black smoke as firefighters stretched multiple hose lines and raised ladde…
Spotsy Motorcyclist Identified After Fatal Harley Crash: Sheriff Spotsy Motorcyclist Identified After Fatal Harley Crash: Sheriff Spotsy Motorcyclist Identified After Fatal Harley Crash: Sheriff
Spotsy Motorcyclist Identified After Fatal Harley Crash: Sheriff A biker has been identified as the motorcyclist killed in a weekend crash in Virginia, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies were called to the 5800 block of Stubbs Bridge Road around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, for a single-vehicle collision, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said a 2018 Harley-Davidson driven by Robert Waltz, 65, of Spotsylvania, left the roadway, slammed into several trees, and came to a stop. Waltz was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin has been notified, the sheriff’s office confirmed. “The crash remains under investigatio…
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