Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Essex, MD

Breaking News

Suspect Arrested In Maryland Double Homicide After Man, Woman Found Dead In Essex (Updated) A week after two people were found dead, Maryland detectives say they have their suspect. Baltimore County homicide detectives arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the double homicide on Banyan Wood Court in Essex, police announced Monday, Aug. 17. The arrest comes exactly one week after a man and woman were pronounced dead following a shooting investigation that brought a heavy police presence to the area. Police said the double homicide occurred at approximately 11:25 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, in the unit block of Banyan Wood Court. The investigation initially stretched beyond t…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Fairfax, VA

Breaking News

Same Clothes, Same Suspect: Man Nabbed Hours After Fairfax County Stabbing, Police Say Kamanti Michael Taylor Washington apparently didn't get around to changing his clothes. Less than 24 hours after a 41-year-old man was left fighting for his life in a Virginia stabbing, police say officers spotted the accused attacker wearing the same clothes captured on surveillance footage before the attack. The 25-year-old Alexandria man was arrested at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, after officers found him in the 3100 block of Sherwood Hall Lane in Hybla Valley, Fairfax County Police said. Detectives say he had a knife on him. The arrest capped a rapid investig…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Greenbelt, MD

Breaking News

Maryland Strikes Back After Trump Administration Tried To Move FBI Headquarters To DC Maryland thought it lost the FBI headquarters. Not so fast. A federal judge handed the state a major victory on Monday, Aug. 17, striking down the Trump administration's attempt to move the FBI's planned headquarters from Greenbelt in Prince George's County to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. US District Judge Theodore D. Chuang permanently blocked the administration from taking steps to advance the Reagan Building relocation and barred federal officials from spending money to support the attempted move. The ruling also struck down the FBI's decision to redirect $555 million f…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Arbutus-Halethorpe, MD

Breaking News

Chemicals Contained After Explosion Forces Halethorpe Building Evacuation (Updated) A chemical explosion sent firefighters scrambling in Maryland late Monday afternoon. Crews were called to the 1400 block of South Rolling Road in Halethorpe at approximately 5:06 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, after reports of an explosion inside a multi-level building, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. The building is near the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus. Firefighters arrived and made quick work of the flames. The fire was extinguished at approximately 5:18 p.m., according to the fire department. The building was evacuated as crews remained at the scene. D…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

Back To School, Starting From Scratch: Virginia Teacher Loses Nearly Everything In Fire The first bell is ringing, but one Virginia teacher is starting the school year without a home. Victoria Mancuso, a K-5 general music and chorus teacher at Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria, lost nearly everything she owned when her rental home burned while she was away traveling during summer break, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by coworker Sara Bukoski Lovelace. Extensive fire and water damage left the home a total loss, according to those closest to the educator. Victoria Mancuso GoFundMe Mancuso was not home when the fire broke out and is OK, according…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Stafford, VA

Breaking News

Target Shoplifting Run Goes Sideways As Stafford Traffic Stop Keeps Getting Worse A suspected shoplifter made it out of a Virginia Target. His problems were just getting started. The trouble began shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, at the Target near 25 South Gateway Drive in Stafford County, where deputies were called after a man allegedly tried to steal merchandise before running from the store, according to the sheriff's office. Deputy Myers soon spotted the vehicle carrying the suspected shoplifter and stopped the driver. That's when a relatively routine retail theft call began to unravel. Investigators say the passenger, later identified as 39-year-old F…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Oxon Hill, MD

Breaking News

Man Dies 9 Days After Oxon Hill Shooting; Accused Gunman May Face New Charges: Police For more than a week, Oscar Guevara fought to survive after being shot in Maryland. He died Sunday. Guevara, 45, had been hospitalized since he was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 6200 block of Oxon Hill Road at around 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. He died from his injuries on Sunday, Aug. 16. Jeremiah Hammond, 25, of Washington, DC, was arrested the day after the shooting and charged with attempted murder and related offenses. Those charges could not be upgraded. With Guevara's death, homicide detectives have taken ov…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

DUI Driver Tossed Damaged Mirror From SUV After Fredericksburg Hit-Run, Police Say Mikaela Butler tried to get rid of the evidence after a hit-and-run involving a motorcyclist over the weekend. She did so in front of her arresting officer. The 30-year-old Haymarket resident is facing charges after being busted for allegedly drinking, driving, and sending a man to the hospital on Saturday night. Officers from the Fredericksburg Police Department responded to a reported crash involving a vehicle in the 2500 block of Plank Road on Aug. 15, when a motorcyclist said he was struck by a white SUV that fled the area. During the subsequent investigation, police say a second offi…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Triangle-Dumfries, VA

Breaking News

Motel 6 Melee, Concert Chaos Make For Rough Weekend For Cops In Prince William County: Police It was a rough weekend to be wearing a badge in Virginia. Three Prince William County police officers were allegedly assaulted in two separate incidents involving intoxicated women on consecutive days, including a Motel 6 melee that left two officers with minor injuries, authorities said. The trouble started shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, when officers were called to the Motel 6 at 17133 Dumfries Road in Dumfries to investigate what was initially reported as a domestic dispute, according to police. Investigators said that one of the people involved, later identified as Laura …

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Chantilly, VA

Obituaries

Virginia Teen Went To Sleep Days After Turning 19, Never Woke Up Four days. That was all the time Soren Anderson got to spend as a 19-year-old. The Virginia teen died on Friday, Aug. 14, just four days after celebrating his 19th birthday on Aug. 10, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by the mother of his best friend in Chantilly. Anderson went to sleep and never woke up, organizer Samira Rutherford said. Now, those who loved him are grappling with a loss that came without warning while rallying around his family to help them say goodbye. “Soren was a kind, funny, bright, and loving young man,” Rutherford wrote. “He had a way of bringing lig…

by Zak Failla

08/17/2026

Prev Page 81 of 3952 79 80 81 82 83 Next

801 - 810 of 39,518 articles