Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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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

Arlington, VA
Your Community
Gone Fishing, Then Disaster: Rogue Wave Sends Virginia Man Into Boat Cleat Gone Fishing, Then Disaster: Rogue Wave Sends Virginia Man Into Boat Cleat Gone Fishing, Then Disaster: Rogue Wave Sends Virginia Man Into Boat Cleat
Gone Fishing, Then Disaster: Rogue Wave Sends Virginia Man Into Boat Cleat One rogue wave changed everything. TJ Hartney was heading out to fish for cobia with friends in Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 8, when their boat hit the wave, throwing him off balance and sending him sliding down the gunwale, according to his family. Then came the impact. Hartney was impaled by a cleat on the boat, causing a severe injury to his right arm, his family said. The fishing trip was over. A much longer journey was just beginning. Because of the severity of his injuries, Hartney was rushed to the emergency room at Virginia Beach General, where he has already undergone one surgery,…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Firefighters Pushed Through Heavy Smoke Then Came An 8-Foot Surprise At Virginia Middle School Firefighters Pushed Through Heavy Smoke Then Came An 8-Foot Surprise At Virginia Middle School Firefighters Pushed Through Heavy Smoke Then Came An 8-Foot Surprise At Virginia Middle School
Firefighters Pushed Through Heavy Smoke Then Came An 8-Foot Surprise At Virginia Middle School Firefighters battling a classroom blaze in Virginia early on Thursday had to deal with one very large wrinkle. An 8-foot python. Crews were called to Forest Middle School in Bedford County at approximately 12:45 a.m. after a fire alarm sounded, according to fire officials. The fire in Virginia. Forest Fire Department Crews arrived to find water pouring from the second floor, flames visible inside, and smoke showing through the windows. Then things got a little wild. Firefighters secured a water supply and began forcing their way inside as additional crews arrived and stretched ho…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
$98K THC Haul Uncovered During Raids At Three Southern Maryland Smoke Shops, Sheriff Says $98K THC Haul Uncovered During Raids At Three Southern Maryland Smoke Shops, Sheriff Says $98K THC Haul Uncovered During Raids At Three Southern Maryland Smoke Shops, Sheriff Says
$98K THC Haul Uncovered During Raids At Three Southern Maryland Smoke Shops, Sheriff Says Nearly $100,000 worth of illicit cannabis and THC products just disappeared from Maryland store shelves. More than 4,600 THC products and 1,263 grams of cannabis flower were seized on Tuesday, Aug. 11, when investigators raided three tobacco and smoke shops across St. Mary's County as part of a crackdown on unlicensed cannabis sales, the sheriff's office announced Thursday. The combined retail value of the haul: $98,072.23. And investigators weren't looking in just one place. Search warrants were executed at Point Lookout Tobacco in Callaway, Cloud Smoke Shop in California, and a Tobacco …

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by Zak Failla
Reston, VA
Breaking News
Daycare Teacher Accused Of Assaulting 3-Year-Old Boy In Reston: Police Daycare Teacher Accused Of Assaulting 3-Year-Old Boy In Reston: Police Daycare Teacher Accused Of Assaulting 3-Year-Old Boy In Reston: Police
Daycare Teacher Accused Of Assaulting 3-Year-Old Boy In Reston: Police A teacher at a Northern Virginia daycare facility is facing charges for allegedly assaulting a young child, police say. Jaspal Bharaj, 61, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge following an investigation into the abuse of a 3-year-old boy in Reston, the Fairfax County Police Department announced on Thursday, Aug. 13. Last week, detectives from the department were called to Bright Horizons Daycare in the 11400 block of Commerce Park Drive in Reston to investigate reports of an assault. Detectives determined that Bharaj, while working as a teacher at the facility, assaulted a child …

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Armed Crew Targeted USPS Carriers Before $1M Mail Scheme Exploded Across DMV: Feds Armed Crew Targeted USPS Carriers Before $1M Mail Scheme Exploded Across DMV: Feds Armed Crew Targeted USPS Carriers Before $1M Mail Scheme Exploded Across DMV: Feds
Armed Crew Targeted USPS Carriers Before $1M Mail Scheme Exploded Across DMV: Feds A District man is going to spend nearly two decades behind bars after a jury found him guilty earlier this year of a violent robbery spree targeting mail carriers across Maryland and the DC area. DeAngelo Lewis, 30, was convicted following an eight-day federal trial in Greenbelt on Friday, April 24, tied to a string of armed robberies involving seven USPS workers in 2022. On Thursday, Aug. 13, authorities announced that Lewis has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the scheme. The scheme stretched across Maryland, Virginia, and DC, where Lewis and his crew tracked down carriers, pulle…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Tick Tock: $50K Powerball Ticket In Virginia Is Days Away From Becoming Worthless Tick Tock: $50K Powerball Ticket In Virginia Is Days Away From Becoming Worthless Tick Tock: $50K Powerball Ticket In Virginia Is Days Away From Becoming Worthless
Tick Tock: $50K Powerball Ticket In Virginia Is Days Away From Becoming Worthless Check the glove box. Empty the junk drawer. Turn those pockets inside out. Somewhere in Virginia, a $50,000 payday is days away from becoming a worthless piece of paper. The unclaimed Powerball ticket was sold at Quik-E Foods at 4380 Waterlick Road in Forest and has been sitting unclaimed since the Saturday, Feb. 21 drawing, according to the Virginia Lottery. Now the clock is ticking. The ticket expires at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, exactly 180 days after the drawing, the deadline set by Virginia law. If nobody comes forward by then, that $50,000 is gone. The mystery winner came tantalizi…

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Stray Bullet Through Maryland Home Leads Deputies To Illegal Gun 'Arsenal': Sheriff Stray Bullet Through Maryland Home Leads Deputies To Illegal Gun 'Arsenal': Sheriff Stray Bullet Through Maryland Home Leads Deputies To Illegal Gun 'Arsenal': Sheriff
Stray Bullet Through Maryland Home Leads Deputies To Illegal Gun 'Arsenal': Sheriff What started as an investigation into shots fired led to the seizure of what investigators described as an "arsenal of illegal firearms."  In late June, deputies were called to the 400 block of Patrick Avenue in Salisbury to investigate reports of gunshots in the area, according to the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office. What came next was unexpected. First responders determined that a bullet had penetrated the wall of a neighboring residence, traveled through the kitchen, ricocheted off a table, passed through the ceiling and attic, and exited through the roof. No injuries were r…

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by Zak Failla
Triangle-Dumfries, VA
Breaking News
Dumfries Teen Arrested In Quinceañera Shooting That Killed Triangle 16-Year-Old Samuel Ojeda Dumfries Teen Arrested In Quinceañera Shooting That Killed Triangle 16-Year-Old Samuel Ojeda Dumfries Teen Arrested In Quinceañera Shooting That Killed Triangle 16-Year-Old Samuel Ojeda
Dumfries Teen Arrested In Quinceañera Shooting That Killed Triangle 16-Year-Old Samuel Ojeda The hunt for the person accused in the deadly shooting of a Virginia 16-year-old at a quinceañera is over. A 17-year-old boy from Dumfries was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in connection with the killing of Samuel Ojeda, who was shot four days earlier during an altercation at a quinceañera near Catlett, the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office announced. Ojeda, of Triangle, was killed on Saturday, Aug. 8, at a rural property on Bowery Lane, where what began as a milestone celebration suddenly turned deadly. Deputies were already there. They had responded at around 9:30 p.m. to complaints ab…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Worker, 26, Killed In Freak Mobile Trailer Collapse At Woodbridge Construction Site: Police Worker, 26, Killed In Freak Mobile Trailer Collapse At Woodbridge Construction Site: Police Worker, 26, Killed In Freak Mobile Trailer Collapse At Woodbridge Construction Site: Police
Worker, 26, Killed In Freak Mobile Trailer Collapse At Woodbridge Construction Site: Police A morning on the job turned deadly when a mobile trailer came crashing down at a Virginia construction site, police said. The fatal accident happened at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at a construction site in the 13000 block of Telegraph Road in Woodbridge, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Four construction workers were working on the mobile trailer when its supports suddenly collapsed, investigators said. One of the workers, a 26-year-old man, was trapped underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Police did not identif…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
BWI Airport's 'Small' Garage Fire Came With A $300K Price Tag In Maryland (UPDATED) BWI Airport's 'Small' Garage Fire Came With A $300K Price Tag In Maryland (UPDATED) BWI Airport's 'Small' Garage Fire Came With A $300K Price Tag In Maryland (UPDATED)
BWI Airport's 'Small' Garage Fire Came With A $300K Price Tag In Maryland (Updated) A parking headache greeted travelers at one of Maryland's busiest gateways Thursday. The Daily Garage at BWI Marshall Airport was temporarily shut down on Thursday, Aug. 13, after a fire broke out near Bus Stop No. 1, airport officials announced shortly after 11 a.m. BWI's fire and rescue department responded to the garage and quickly got the flames under control. By 11:45 a.m., airport officials confirmed the fire had been extinguished. The garage, however, remained temporarily closed as crews continued handling the incident. Despite the disruption on the ground, the trouble did not spr…

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by Zak Failla
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