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

Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Fake Police Badge, Storage Unit, Threats: DC Predator Who Terrorized Two Women Learns Fate Fake Police Badge, Storage Unit, Threats: DC Predator Who Terrorized Two Women Learns Fate Fake Police Badge, Storage Unit, Threats: DC Predator Who Terrorized Two Women Learns Fate
Fake Police Badge, Storage Unit, Threats: DC Predator Who Terrorized Two Women Learns Fate A single date turned into a three-day nightmare for a woman who was threatened with death, held in a storage unit, and sexually assaulted by a DC man who claimed to have police officers in his pocket. Maurice Spears, 34, was sentenced to 65 years and 180 days in prison for sexually abusing two women in separate attacks in 2024, including a second victim he approached with the promise of helping her get shoes. According to federal prosecutors, Spears used threats, intimidation, and claims of connections to law enforcement to control both women, subjecting them to a combined eight days of abu…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Breaking News
Man Convicted Of Murder After Opening Fire On Pickup Carrying Six Near Mount Airy Man Convicted Of Murder After Opening Fire On Pickup Carrying Six Near Mount Airy Man Convicted Of Murder After Opening Fire On Pickup Carrying Six Near Mount Airy
Man Convicted Of Murder After Opening Fire On Pickup Carrying Six Near Mount Airy A fight at a Maryland fairgrounds ended with gunfire on a highway, leaving one man dead and five others in the line of fire. Now, more than a year later, a Howard County man has been convicted of murder and five counts of attempted murder in connection with the deadly shooting. Jeffrey Josue Diaz, 26, was found guilty following a jury trial in Frederick County Circuit Court stemming from the June 14, 2025, shooting that killed 20-year-old Eduardo Alexander Alvarado Urrea. According to prosecutors, the trouble began earlier that night at the Frederick County Fairgrounds, where Diaz got into…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Boy Among Three Critically Injured As DC House Fire Sends Six To Hospitals (PHOTOS) Boy Among Three Critically Injured As DC House Fire Sends Six To Hospitals (PHOTOS) Boy Among Three Critically Injured As DC House Fire Sends Six To Hospitals (PHOTOS)
Boy Among Three Critically Injured As DC House Fire Sends Six To Hospitals (Photos) Three people, including a child, were critically injured when a fire ripped through a DC home before sunrise, sending six people to the hospital. The blaze broke out shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, in the 600 block of Geranium Street NW, where firefighters arrived to find flames and smoke coming from both the front and back of a two-story house. The fire in DC Twitter/@dcfireems A man, woman, and boy suffered the most serious injuries, according to DC Fire and EMS. Another woman and two children were also rushed to hospitals, though their injuries were not considered life…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
WATCH: Roof Collapses As $11M In Designer Clothes, Boots Lost In Massive Seneca Farms Fire WATCH: Roof Collapses As $11M In Designer Clothes, Boots Lost In Massive Seneca Farms Fire WATCH: Roof Collapses As $11M In Designer Clothes, Boots Lost In Massive Seneca Farms Fire
Watch: Roof Collapses As $11M In Designer Clothes, Boots Lost In Massive Seneca Farms Fire An estimated $11 million worth of designer boots and clothing was caught up in a massive Maryland house fire that sent flames roaring through the roof, forced firefighters to retreat, and left a multimillion-dollar trail of destruction. The fire broke out around 4:25 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the 14600 block of Seneca Farm Lane in Montgomery County, where more than 65 firefighters battled an inferno that ultimately caused more than $12 million in damage. But it wasn't just the house that came with an eye-popping price tag. The fire in Montgomery County. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Accord…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
$50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction $50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction $50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction
$50M Crypto Heist Bought Rockville Man Pokémon Cards, Moon Relic Before Jury Conviction A Maryland man's $50 million cryptocurrency heist bought him a collection of Pokémon cards, ancient Roman coins, and a piece of history that traveled to the moon. Now it's earned him a federal conviction. Rockville resident Jonathan Spalletta, 36, was found guilty this week following a six-day trial in Manhattan that detailed how he stole tens of millions of dollars from a cryptocurrency exchange before spending part of the money on rare collectibles. Among his purchases were a $500,000 Magic: The Gathering card, more than $1 million worth of Pokémon cards, and a piece of the Wright brothe…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field
Winning Touchdown Turns Deadly As DC Man Fires 17 Shots At Flag Football Rival On School Field Antonio Hawley took flag football trash talk to a new level. Now he's heading to prison for decades. The 23-year-old District resident has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after being found guilty of the murder of 26-year-old Aaron Wiggins on the sports field of Watkins Elementary School. Shortly before 10 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2021, Hawley and Wiggins were opponents during a flag football scrimmage that got heated after the lights went out on the field. Prosecutors say the two teams decided to run one final play, and Wiggins caught the winning touchdown, ending the game. Througho…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police
Black Hyundai, Mystery Driver Sought After Woman Dies Days After Reisterstown Hit-Run: Police A Maryland woman never made it home, and now police are hoping surveillance photos and a $2,000 reward will help them track down the driver who left her dying in the road. Melissa Nocho, 64, died on Wednesday, Sept. 30, six days after she was struck by a vehicle along Reisterstown Road in Baltimore County, according to police. Investigators have since identified the suspected vehicle as a black Hyundai Elantra and released surveillance images showing the car and a person they are trying to identify. The crash happened at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in the 1700 block of R…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Breaking News
MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling'
MS-13 Killer's Rap Song Preceded Double Murder: 'We Control The Villa Of Sterling' Hours before two people were shot and killed in Virginia, an MS-13 gang member recorded a rap song with a warning about who controlled his neighborhood and what would happen to those who stayed there. Marlyn Samuel Medrano Ortiz, 20, will spend 30 years in prison for the murders of Diego Woollett and Mijal Conejero, who were gunned down outside their apartment complex in Sterling on Aug. 28, 2024. The Loudoun County man was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 9, nearly two years after the early morning confrontation that left both victims dead and two families grieving. Prosecutors say Medrano Ortiz…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says
Curious Mustache, Serious Charges: Virginia Sex Offender Back Behind Bars, Sheriff Says The mustache may be memorable, but the allegations facing a 73-year-old Virginia man are no laughing matter. Ronald Jay Fleet, 73, who stands out in a crowd, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 8, by members of the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry Unit in Charles City County following a monthlong investigation into suspected violations of state law. The investigation, conducted alongside the Charles City County Sheriff's Office, led authorities to execute a search warrant that uncovered evidence resulting in six new charges. Fleet was already a registered sex offender at the time of …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Accokeek, MD
Breaking News
Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest
Accokeek Teen Accused In 3 Groping Incidents Granted Release From Jail Day After Arrest A Maryland teenager accused of groping women in a series of separate incidents is back out of jail. Jalen Andre Simon, 19, of Accokeek, was released from the Charles County Detention Center on electronic monitoring on Friday, Oct. 9, one day after his arrest in connection with three reported incidents dating back to July. The investigation began over the summer, when a woman reported being groped while shopping at a business in Waldorf, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. It wasn't the last complaint. Two more incidents involving alleged groping and assault were reported in …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 1 of 3943 1 2 3 4 5 Next
1 - 10 of 39,422 articles