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

Sterling, VA
Breaking News
Loudoun County Deputy Faces 18 Months Of Recovery After Head-On Motorcycle Crash Loudoun County Deputy Faces 18 Months Of Recovery After Head-On Motorcycle Crash Loudoun County Deputy Faces 18 Months Of Recovery After Head-On Motorcycle Crash
Loudoun County Deputy Faces 18 Months Of Recovery After Head-On Motorcycle Crash What started as a routine day on the job for Loudoun County Sheriff's deputy Louis Custodio ended with a life-altering motorcycle crash while he was on patrol, his family says. At approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, Custodio was on patrol when he struck another motorcycle head-on between Hyatt Lane and Morrisonville Road, sending both riders to the hospital with critical injuries. According to loved ones, Custodio was left with "devastating injuries" that will require at least 15 surgeries and a recovery time of at least 18 months, leaving him out of work. Following the crash, the …

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Rubber Deer Mask Freakout Ends With Virginia Man Biting Deputy On I-95: Stafford Sheriff Rubber Deer Mask Freakout Ends With Virginia Man Biting Deputy On I-95: Stafford Sheriff Rubber Deer Mask Freakout Ends With Virginia Man Biting Deputy On I-95: Stafford Sheriff
Rubber Deer Mask Freakout Ends With Virginia Man Biting Deputy On I-95: Stafford Sheriff A Virginia man turned I-95 into his personal stage over the weekend — and it ended with him chomping down on a deputy’s foot while ranting about a rubber deer mask, officials said. The chaos unfolded around 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, when Stafford County deputies were called to the northbound lanes near mile marker 136, when multiple callers reported a man casually strolling in the middle of the highway, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies quickly spotted Adrian Chiodo, 30, of Richmond, wandering among traffic.  “Due to I-95 being a highway and not a sidewalk, it wasn’t har…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Man Wanted For Penn State Rape; 'Surrender Immediately' US Marshals Say DC Man Wanted For Penn State Rape; 'Surrender Immediately' US Marshals Say DC Man Wanted For Penn State Rape; 'Surrender Immediately' US Marshals Say
DC Man Wanted For Penn State Rape; 'Surrender Immediately' US Marshals Say A DC man accused of raping a fellow student at Penn State is on the run — and US Marshals want him caught. The US Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force issued an alert on Monday, Aug. 18, advising that they are searching for 19-year-old Abdul-Jabril Cooper, who is wanted for the September 2024 rape of a student at Penn State’s Abington campus. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for Cooper’s arrest on July 16, charging him with rape. Cooper, who has since disenrolled from the university, is accused of raping a female student i…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Your Community
ICE Roasts Repeat Border Crosser’s ‘Tattoo Stache’ After Baltimore Arrest ICE Roasts Repeat Border Crosser’s ‘Tattoo Stache’ After Baltimore Arrest ICE Roasts Repeat Border Crosser’s ‘Tattoo Stache’ After Baltimore Arrest
ICE Roasts Repeat Border Crosser’s ‘Tattoo Stache’ After Baltimore Arrest ICE didn’t just arrest a repeat border crosser in Maryland — they roasted him on social media, too. Federal officers in Baltimore announced the arrest of 38-year-old Jose Lugo-Ibarra, a Mexican national who, according to ICE, has illegally entered the US nearly a dozen times. But instead of just releasing the charges, ICE trolled Lugo-Ibarra’s face tattoos, posting his mugshot with the caption: “Can anyone read what his mustache says?” Can anyone read what his mustache says?Well, anyway ... He’s a Mexican illegal alien and habitual border crosser with a final order of removal our Baltim…

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by Zak Failla
Bethesda, MD
Breaking News
Unconscious Man Pulled From Burning Bethesda Home Rushed To Hospital: Officials (DEVELOPING) Unconscious Man Pulled From Burning Bethesda Home Rushed To Hospital: Officials (DEVELOPING) Unconscious Man Pulled From Burning Bethesda Home Rushed To Hospital: Officials (DEVELOPING)
Unconscious Man Pulled From Burning Bethesda Home Rushed To Hospital: Officials (Developing) An elderly man was pulled from a burning home on Monday morning when crews responded to a reported house fire in Bethesda, officials said. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to the 4800 block of Broad Brook Drive around 11:10 a.m. on Aug. 18 for reports of a house fire with someone possibly trapped inside, according to fire officials. When first responders arrived, they found flames tearing through the living room and garage. Neighbors told first responders the man was still inside, and crews went in to search. They found an unconscious elderly man inside, carried him out, and rus…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
Man Killed 81-Year-Old Mother In Derwood, Roommate Helped Hide Body: Police Man Killed 81-Year-Old Mother In Derwood, Roommate Helped Hide Body: Police Man Killed 81-Year-Old Mother In Derwood, Roommate Helped Hide Body: Police
Man Killed 81-Year-Old Mother In Derwood, Roommate Helped Hide Body: Police A Maryland man is accused of murdering his mother — and police say his roommate helped hide the body. Montgomery County Police said they were called just after 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, to the 18600 block of Muncaster Road in Derwood for a missing person report. Inside the home, officers met Daniel Paul Shay, 60, who claimed he hadn’t seen his 81-year-old mother, Victoria Ellen Shay, in days. But detectives quickly found signs that something violent had happened inside the house. Investigators said they later discovered Victoria Shay’s body dumped near Route 124 and Brink Road. Polic…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Your Community
Snapchat Threat To Osbourn Park High School Leads To Teen Arrest In Manassas: Police Snapchat Threat To Osbourn Park High School Leads To Teen Arrest In Manassas: Police Snapchat Threat To Osbourn Park High School Leads To Teen Arrest In Manassas: Police
Snapchat Threat To Osbourn Park High School Leads To Teen Arrest In Manassas: Police A 15-year-old student in Virginia is facing charges after being busted posting a cryptic, violent threat on social media targeting his high school, police say. Last week, officers with the Prince William County Police Department launched an investigation into a possible threat of violence to Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, which was posted on social media on Tuesday, Aug. 12. According to police, it was determined that a teen student at the school posted an image on SnapChat indicating a threat of violence to the school. The image was brought to investigators' attention by another stu…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Search Suspended For Missing Swimmer At Beaver Dam Swimming Club In Baltimore County (UPDATED) Search Suspended For Missing Swimmer At Beaver Dam Swimming Club In Baltimore County (UPDATED) Search Suspended For Missing Swimmer At Beaver Dam Swimming Club In Baltimore County (UPDATED)
Search Suspended For Missing Swimmer At Beaver Dam Swimming Club In Baltimore County (Updated) UPDATE: The search was suspended at around 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18. Recovery efforts are expected to continue on Tuesday. #update crews used robots, handheld sonar devices, and recovery dogs at the Beaver Dam Swimming Club today. Unfortunately we still have not located the missing swimmer. Search efforts have ended for today and the Baltimore County Police Dept. will resume efforts tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/lDWJIVCPPp — Baltimore County Fire Department (@BaltCoFire) August 18, 2025 Baltimore County Fire Department Search efforts have resumed at the Beaver Dam Swimming Club after …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Mom Shot Dead Inside Virginia Apartment, Son Charged With Murder: Arlington Police Mom Shot Dead Inside Virginia Apartment, Son Charged With Murder: Arlington Police Mom Shot Dead Inside Virginia Apartment, Son Charged With Murder: Arlington Police
Mom Shot Dead Inside Virginia Apartment, Son Charged With Murder: Arlington Police A mother is dead and her son is in custody after a deadly shooting inside a Virginia apartment, police said. The Arlington County Police Department said officers responded shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, to the 3400 block of Fairfax Drive in the Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhood for reports of a shooting. Inside, officers found 57-year-old Winchester resident Travis Renee Baldwin suffering from a gunshot wound. She was treated and rushed to an area hospital, where she later died from her injuries. According to investigators, Logan Chrisinger, 27, shot and killed his mother…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Spotsy Man Climbed Into Woman’s Restroom Stall, Tried To Abduct Victim With Knife: Sheriff Spotsy Man Climbed Into Woman’s Restroom Stall, Tried To Abduct Victim With Knife: Sheriff Spotsy Man Climbed Into Woman’s Restroom Stall, Tried To Abduct Victim With Knife: Sheriff
Spotsy Man Climbed Into Woman’s Restroom Stall, Tried To Abduct Victim With Knife: Sheriff A Virginia man is behind bars after deputies say he tried to abduct a woman inside a public restroom before stabbing her and running from the scene. The suspect, Austin Wayne Wilson, a man in his 20s, was identified on CCTV and arrested following the incident at a business on Plank Road around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Wilson entered the women’s restroom, hid inside a stall, and then climbed into the victim’s stall. He then pulled out a knife, threatened the woman and attempted to restrain her, officials said. The w…

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by Zak Failla
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