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Friday, aug 22

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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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

Schools

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

Police & Fire

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

Police & Fire

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

Police & Fire

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

Lifestyle

$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

Traffic

I-95 Shut Down In Harford County After Multi-Vehicle Crash: Major Delays Expected (Developing) A crash in Harford County is expected to lead to major delays on I-95 on Friday. The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed at around 9:45 a.m. on Aug. 15, where there was a reported multi-vehicle crash in the area of MD 24. The crash on I-95. Maryland DOT According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, drivers should use US 40, MD 7, and US 1 as alternate routes. Details about the crash have not been released. This is a developing story.

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Police & Fire

Man Critically Injured In 5-Story Roof Bethesda Fall As Rescuers Race To Save Him A man suffered critical injuries overnight in Maryland after taking a five-story fall and crash landing onto a roof, officials say. In Montgomery County, first responders were called at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday morning to the 4700 block of Montgomery Lane in Bethesda, where there were reports about an injured man who had taken a spill. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Dave Pazos, crews found one injured man when they arrived at the scene, and determined he had fallen from the 8th floor onto a 3rd floor roof, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. The depa…

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Politics

Brazenly Unlawful’: DC AG Sues Trump Over ‘Hostile Takeover’ Of Police The DC Attorney General is taking the Trump administration to court, accusing it of staging a “hostile takeover” of the Metropolitan Police Department in what he calls the gravest threat to the District’s self-governance in its 52 years of Home Rule. AG Brian Schwalb announced Friday, Aug. 15, that his office has filed suit to block what he says is an illegal move by the federal government to seize direct control of MPD. “By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law,” Schwalb said in a statement. “This is the gravest …

by Zak Failla

08/15/2025

Police & Fire

Broad Daylight Perv Caught On Camera In Oakton — Do You Recognize Him? Police in Northern Virginia have released a photo of a man they say was caught on camera brazenly pleasuring himself in broad daylight in a quiet Oakton neighborhood — and they want your help finding him. Detectives from Fairfax County’s Criminal Investigations Division say it happened shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7 near Sprague Avenue and Hammersmith Lane. The victim told police they saw the man masturbating between Hammersmith Lane and Finsbury Place, but when officers canvassed the area, the suspect had already gotten away before they arrived. Investigators later obtained secu…

by Zak Failla

08/14/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia-To-LA Flight Diverted Over Passenger’s Racist Slurs, Restraint Breaks: Police A flight from Virginia heading to LA had to be rerouted to Colorado after an unruly passenger put on a scene and refused to stay down — even after being restrained. At around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, a flight destined for Los Angeles International Airport had to make an unexpected stop after going on a tirade that disrupted passengers and staff alike, according to the Grand Junction Police Department. During the flight, police say that an allegedly intoxicated man - identified as David Leroy Carter, 46 - became "agitated," yelling racial slurs at airline staff while waving a skateb…

by Zak Failla

08/14/2025

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