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
Virginia Deputy Shot After Suspect Drives Toward Officers, Opens Fire In Spotsylvania: VSP Virginia Deputy Shot After Suspect Drives Toward Officers, Opens Fire In Spotsylvania: VSP Virginia Deputy Shot After Suspect Drives Toward Officers, Opens Fire In Spotsylvania: VSP
Virginia Deputy Shot After Suspect Drives Toward Officers, Opens Fire In Spotsylvania: VSP A Virginia deputy was wounded when a shooting suspect drove his vehicle toward responding officers and opened fire, prompting deputies to return fire, killing the 39-year-old man, state police announced. The deadly confrontation unfolded in Spotsylvania County on Sunday, Oct. 18, after sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 11000 block of Hickory Creek Drive at approximately 12:39 p.m. for reports of a domestic-related shooting. While investigating, deputies located the suspect, identified as Jerson David Martinez-Coreva, in his vehicle on nearby Smoke Tree Boulevard, where authorities s…

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by Zak Failla
Silver Spring, MD
Breaking News
Silver Spring Taco Bell Tantrum Lands Maryland Man Behind Bars After Two-Day Tirade, Police Say Silver Spring Taco Bell Tantrum Lands Maryland Man Behind Bars After Two-Day Tirade, Police Say Silver Spring Taco Bell Tantrum Lands Maryland Man Behind Bars After Two-Day Tirade, Police Say
Silver Spring Taco Bell Tantrum Lands Maryland Man Behind Bars After Two-Day Tirade, Police Say The only thing Ryan Barile hates more than a botched Taco Bell order is the employee who served it. Over the summer, the 44-year-old Halethorpe man turned a fast-food feud into a two-day tirade of racial slurs and death threats that landed him behind bars in Montgomery County, according to police. The battle began on Thursday, Aug. 20, when Barile placed an order at the Taco Bell location in the 13800 block of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. Displeased by his order, police say Barile began yelling at an employee, making derogatory statements and threatening to assault them, as well a…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Breaking News
Abandoned Fairfax County Building Engulfed In Flames As Two-Alarm Blaze Erupts (PHOTOS) Abandoned Fairfax County Building Engulfed In Flames As Two-Alarm Blaze Erupts (PHOTOS) Abandoned Fairfax County Building Engulfed In Flames As Two-Alarm Blaze Erupts (PHOTOS)
Abandoned Fairfax County Building Engulfed In Flames As Two-Alarm Blaze Erupts (Photos) Flames tore through an abandoned building in Northern Virginia on Sunday night, drawing a two-alarm response from Fairfax County firefighters as the structure became engulfed in fire. Crews were called to the area of Hunter Mill Road and Sunset Hill Road in Reston on Oct. 18, where they arrived to find flames showing throughout the building, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials. The fire in Fairfax County. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Photos shared by the department show flames pouring from the building's windows and roofline as firefighters worked to bring the bl…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Your Community
$12,500 Down, $1M To Go: Frederick Man Still Racing Toward NASCAR Jackpot $12,500 Down, $1M To Go: Frederick Man Still Racing Toward NASCAR Jackpot $12,500 Down, $1M To Go: Frederick Man Still Racing Toward NASCAR Jackpot
$12,500 Down, $1M To Go: Frederick Man Still Racing Toward NASCAR Jackpot A Maryland man is racing toward a potential million-dollar payday as NASCAR's championship weekend approaches, and he's already collected $12,500 without ever getting behind the wheel. Frederick resident Jeffely Pargo is among just 10 people nationwide still in contention for the $1 million grand prize in NASCAR Powerball's "The Chase," a lottery promotion that could put him in Victory Lane during the sport's championship weekend in November. Pargo survived another round of eliminations on Sunday, Oct. 18, when his name was announced during the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway, earn…

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by Zak Failla
Woodbridge, VA
Breaking News
Woodbridge Man Leads Deputies On Wild Chase Before Armed Standoff In Virginia: Sheriff Woodbridge Man Leads Deputies On Wild Chase Before Armed Standoff In Virginia: Sheriff Woodbridge Man Leads Deputies On Wild Chase Before Armed Standoff In Virginia: Sheriff
Woodbridge Man Leads Deputies On Wild Chase Before Armed Standoff In Virginia: Sheriff A tense police standoff ended peacefully after a pursuit landed a 38-year-old man behind bars in Virginia. Terrell Downing put deputies from the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office through their paces on Saturday night when they attempted to stop his Dodge Challenger twice before he was ultimately apprehended. According to the sheriff's office, deputies attempted to stop a white Dodge Challenger on Piedmont Drive for a violation, though the driver, later identified as the Woodbridge resident, fled. The initial pursuit was terminated shortly after it began as a precaution, but Downing was just ge…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
27 Vehicles Burn In $3.8M Blaze Outside Waldorf Verizon Facility: Fire Marshal 27 Vehicles Burn In $3.8M Blaze Outside Waldorf Verizon Facility: Fire Marshal 27 Vehicles Burn In $3.8M Blaze Outside Waldorf Verizon Facility: Fire Marshal
27 Vehicles Burn In $3.8M Blaze Outside Waldorf Verizon Facility: Fire Marshal An entire fleet of commercial vehicles went up in flames behind a Maryland building occupied by Verizon, sending a wall of fire and thick smoke into the night sky. The fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 3 Industrial Park Drive in Waldorf, where firefighters arrived to find more than two dozen utility vehicles burning beneath an awning attached to the building. By the time the flames were brought under control, 27 commercial vehicles had been damaged or destroyed, with investigators estimating the total loss at $3.8 million, according to the Maryland State Fire Marsha…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
Army Veteran, DC Investigator Known As 'Ultimate Girl Dad' Dies After Cancer Battle Army Veteran, DC Investigator Known As 'Ultimate Girl Dad' Dies After Cancer Battle Army Veteran, DC Investigator Known As 'Ultimate Girl Dad' Dies After Cancer Battle
Army Veteran, DC Investigator Known As 'Ultimate Girl Dad' Dies After Cancer Battle Apolinar "Nuney" Nunez, a decorated Army combat veteran and longtime DC police investigator who spent much of his life serving others, has died following a battle with cancer. Nunez, a husband and father of five young daughters, died on Saturday, Oct. 17, just days after friends and fellow officers organized a fundraiser to help his family as he underwent cancer treatment. The DC Police Union announced his death over the weekend, remembering a man whose kindness, generosity, and friendship left a lasting impression on those who served alongside him. Nunez joined the Metropolitan Police …

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by Zak Failla
Gainesville, VA
Your Community
Friendly Neighborhood Cat Tests Positive For Rabies In Gainesville, Four Others Monitored Friendly Neighborhood Cat Tests Positive For Rabies In Gainesville, Four Others Monitored Friendly Neighborhood Cat Tests Positive For Rabies In Gainesville, Four Others Monitored
Friendly Neighborhood Cat Tests Positive For Rabies In Gainesville, Four Others Monitored A familiar feline face in a Virginia neighborhood has tested positive for rabies, raising concerns about possible exposure among residents and their pets who may have crossed paths with the infected cat. The warning comes from the Prince William County Police Department after a calico cat found in the 15500 block of Thoroughfare Road in Gainesville was confirmed to have rabies. Unlike many rabies cases involving wild animals, this cat was known to socialize with people and other pets in the area, making it possible that residents unknowingly came into contact with the infected animal. Now,…

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by Zak Failla
Round Hill, VA
Breaking News
Nearly $1M In Damage, But Smoke Alarm May Have Saved Four Lives In Round Hill Nearly $1M In Damage, But Smoke Alarm May Have Saved Four Lives In Round Hill Nearly $1M In Damage, But Smoke Alarm May Have Saved Four Lives In Round Hill
Nearly $1M In Damage, But Smoke Alarm May Have Saved Four Lives In Round Hill A smoke alarm may have saved four lives in Northern Virginia, but it couldn't save their home from a fire that caused nearly $1 million in damage. A family of four was forced from their home in the 17200 block of Arrowood Place in Round Hill after a fire broke out on Friday, Oct. 16, leaving behind an estimated $940,000 in damage, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. The family might not have had time to escape if not for a working smoke alarm that woke the homeowner, who discovered flames burning in the living room. By the time firefighters arrived, smoke was pouring from the sing…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Her Boyfriend Beat Her Toddler To Death, Then This DC Mom Tried To Cover It Up: Feds Her Boyfriend Beat Her Toddler To Death, Then This DC Mom Tried To Cover It Up: Feds Her Boyfriend Beat Her Toddler To Death, Then This DC Mom Tried To Cover It Up: Feds
Her Boyfriend Beat Her Toddler To Death, Then This DC Mom Tried To Cover It Up: Feds A. 28-year-old woman who lied to police in an attempt to cover up for her boyfriend's deadly abuse of her toddler son copped to the crime in DC Superior Court. Monet Jones pleaded guilty on Friday for lying to a grand jury about the violent beating death of 2-year-old Mars Jones, who suffered traumatic injuries at the hands of Desean Matthews, federal authorities announced. On Oct. 13, 2022, the couple took Mac to Dunkin before noon, where Matthews was caught on camera striking the boy with a closed fist and causing him to fall and slam against a metal railing. Later that same day, wh…

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by Zak Failla
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