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

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

Jealous, Drunk Man Chokes Mechanic Over 'Girlfriend' At Fredericksburg Oil Change Shop: Sheriff A simple truck repair in Virginia turned into a full-on jealous brawl when a man showed up drunk, accused his girlfriend’s friend of cheating, and allegedly put him in a chokehold before going on a rant against deputies. The chaos broke out shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Take 5 Oil Change on Warrenton Road in Fredericksburg, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the victim were working on the woman's truck when her “essentially” boyfriend — 46 years old and intoxicated — stormed in and “quickly assumed there were ‘adulterous acts’ occurring.” “Du…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Arlington, VA

Breaking News

Man From UAE Masturbated, Groped Passenger On Flight From Boston To Virginia: Feds A flight from Massachusetts to Virginia took a disturbing turn when a former American living abroad was caught masturbating and groping a fellow passenger midair, federal prosecutors say. Darrell Ray Seale, 56, an American residing in the United Arab Emirates, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Court documents say the incident happened June 6 aboard a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Shortly after takeoff, prosecutors said, …

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

Overturned Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down Busy Stafford Roadway, Sparks Hours-Long Cleanup A tractor-trailer crash shut down a busy Stafford intersection for hours Friday morning, Aug. 15, backing up traffic and sending Virginia Department of Transportation crews into a major cleanup operation. According to VDOT, the wreck happened at Centreport Parkway and Route 1, leaving the truck overturned and debris scattered across the roadway. Travelers heading to I-95 were forced to use exit 133 (Route 17) or exit 140 (Courthouse Road) while the closure was in effect through Friday afternoon. By early afternoon, crews reported that the crash site was largely cleared. In an …

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Abingdon, MD

Obituaries

Maryland Mom Stranded In Germany After Husband’s Death Abroad — Community Steps Up To Help A Maryland mother is facing an unthinkable loss — and a long road home — after her husband died suddenly during a family trip to Germany. According to her family, Sarah Lee was visiting her home country with her husband, Alexander David Lee, and their two young children when tragedy struck. A previously undetected brain tumor was diagnosed, and within weeks, he was gone, leaving his loved ones shell-shocked. Sarah and the children live in Maryland but remain in Germany, where she is now navigating grief, caring for her children, and facing what organizers described as “a mountain of …

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Oxon Hill, MD

Breaking News

Man Caught Smoking Cig At Oxon Hill Murder Scene Arrested Weeks Later: Police Weeks after he was caught on camera lighting up a cigarette while walking away from a Maryland murder scene, a wanted man has been apprehended, authorities announced. Last month, the Prince George's County Police Department issued a call for help to the community after 31-year-old DC resident Deon Damien Thomas was fatally shot by an unknown man sporting a jumpsuit. At approximately 8:20 p.m. on July 12, officers were called to investigate a shooting in the 511 block of Indian Head Highway in Oxon Hill, where they found Thomas suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronoun…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Silver Spring, MD

Your Community

Maryland Passes the Test: Best Community College System In America, New Report Finds Maryland just schooled the rest of the country — literally — after being named home to the best community college system in America, according to a new report. WalletHub released its annual "States With the Best & Worst Community Colleges" list for 2025 — and the Old Line State took top honors, ahead of New Mexico, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Washington. Neighboring Virginia was further down the list, ranked 27th overall. “Community colleges are an especially attractive option this year as many families deal with inflated prices," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement. "Stu…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Pikesville, MD

Breaking News

Lightning Strike Ignites Massive Three-Alarm Pikesville Apartment Fire, Roof Collapses (Photos) Mother Nature was to blame for Wednesday's three-alarm fire that resulted in a partial roof collapse in Baltimore County. Crews were called to the 1800 block of Rambling Ridge Lane in Pikesville for a reported fire that broke out inside an area home following a reported lightning strike report from CoreLogic. The incident occurred shortly after the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Baltimore County at 3:33 p.m. According to the Baltimore County Fire Department, they were able to confirm that the strike occurred directly at the exact coordinates of 1803 …

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Waldorf, MD

Breaking News

Six Dead, Nine Homeless: Maryland Community Pours Out Support After Waldorf Inferno A Maryland family reeling from a fire that killed six loved ones — including four children — is seeing an outpouring of support from neighbors, local businesses, and strangers across the region as they attempt to recover. The Sunday, Aug. 10 blaze on North Declarations Court in Waldorf displaced all nine people who lived in the home, destroyed nearly everything they owned, and left only three survivors, officials said. Investigators say the victims are believed to include the wife and three children of the homeowner, along with the wife and child of another resident. The…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Ashburn, VA

Breaking News

Ashburn Man Solicited Sex With Virginia 'Teen' During Sting Operation, Police Say A former teacher in Virginia was arrested after he allegedly made plans to meet up with a "teen" for sex during an undercover operation, police say. David Mark Sabin, 38, of Ashburn, a former educator at Oak Hill Christian School in McNair, was apprehended after detectives say he contacted an undercover officer posing as a minor in July, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Sabin made plans to travel from Loudoun to Fairfax County to engage in sexual activity with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl, officials said, but never met up with any teens. Investigators later tied…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Fredericksburg, VA

Your Community

$348M Virginia Lottery Winner’s First Big Buy From Largest Jackpot Ever May Surprise You Virginia’s biggest lottery winner ever just cashed in — and their first splurge isn’t a mansion, sports car, or yacht. It’s a lawn mower. The anonymous winner of the record-breaking $348 million Mega Millions jackpot from the June 27 drawing told Virginia Lottery officials they plan to buy a zero-radius riding lawn mower with their winnings. It is unclear what they will do with the other $348,997,000, (give or take). The single winning ticket — which matched all six numbers: 18-21-29-42-50 and the Mega Ball 2 — was bought at E & C Mid Atlantic, on Northumberland Highway in Burge…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

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