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

Annapolis, MD
Breaking News
'I Will Behead You': Maryland Man Threatened President Trump On Facebook, Feds Say 'I Will Behead You': Maryland Man Threatened President Trump On Facebook, Feds Say
'I Will Behead You': Maryland Man Threatened President Trump On Facebook, Feds Say Donald Swope wasn't subtle about his plans for President Donald Trump. The 53-year-old Maryland man made his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday, Sept. 1, after prosecutors say a months-long series of Facebook posts escalated into threats against Trump and the US Secret Service. Among them was one particularly chilling message aimed directly at the president. "I will behead you Donald J. Trump," Swope allegedly wrote in a Facebook post highlighted by federal prosecutors. He followed it by tagging Trump and a lengthy list of government agencies, officials and media outlets, accord…

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by Zak Failla
Hyattsville, MD
Breaking News
Gunman Charged With Murder After Hyattsville Man Dies 9 Months After DC Shooting: Police Gunman Charged With Murder After Hyattsville Man Dies 9 Months After DC Shooting: Police
Gunman Charged With Murder After Hyattsville Man Dies 9 Months After DC Shooting: Police A Maryland man survived being shot in DC, but the bullet ultimately killed him more than nine months later. Now, nearly two and a half years after the shooting, police say the man accused of pulling the trigger is facing a murder charge. Sean Crawford, 46, of Hyattsville, was shot in the torso on the afternoon of April 4, 2024, in the 700 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found Crawford still conscious and breathing despite the gunshot wound. He was rushed to a hospital in critical but stable condition…

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by Zak Failla
Sterling, VA
Obituaries
'He Was The Happiest Man We Knew': Sterling Man Killed In Crash Days Before 25th Birthday 'He Was The Happiest Man We Knew': Sterling Man Killed In Crash Days Before 25th Birthday
'He Was The Happiest Man We Knew': Sterling Man Killed In Crash Days Before 25th Birthday Shawneil Clarke Alexander is being remembered as a "truly kind and beautiful soul" after his unexpected death in Virginia. Alexander, 24, was struck and killed before 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, by a driver near the intersection of Route 7 and Palisades Parkway in Sterling, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. He was pronounced dead at the scene two days before his 25th birthday. His death remains under investigation, but the outpouring of support for his family has been immediate. "The community lost a beautiful soul this past weekend," one loved one wrote. "Most knew hi…

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by Zak Failla
Upper Marlboro, MD
Breaking News
Teen Charged With Murder After Housemate Twice His Age Shot Dead In PG County: Police Teen Charged With Murder After Housemate Twice His Age Shot Dead In PG County: Police
Teen Charged With Murder After Housemate Twice His Age Shot Dead In PG County: Police A teen who allegedly killed someone twice his age, whom he lived with in Maryland, has been arrested and charged with murder, police say. Eu’nyus Maddox, 18, has been arrested and charged in connection with the midday shooting of 36-year-old Levelle Mills in Largo, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Shortly after noon on Monday, Aug. 31, officers were called to the 500 block of Mt. Lubentia Court East, where there were reports of shots fired. FATAL SHOOTING: Officers responded to the 500 block of Mount Lubentia Ct at approx. 12:05 pm for a shooting. They located …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Nonverbal 5-Year-Old Virginia Girl Found Dead After Wandering From Vacation Rental Nonverbal 5-Year-Old Virginia Girl Found Dead After Wandering From Vacation Rental
Nonverbal 5-Year-Old Virginia Girl Found Dead After Wandering From Vacation Rental A family vacation ended in heartbreak for a 5-year-old Virginia girl. Saylor Hayes, a nonverbal child from the Bristol area of Washington County, wandered away from her family's rental home in the Pawleys Island area of South Carolina late Sunday morning, Aug. 30, setting off a massive search that stretched into the next day. Hundreds of law enforcement officers, first responders, volunteers, and neighbors joined the effort to find Saylor, searching by land, air, and water as darkness fell. Boats patrolled the shoreline. K9 teams and volunteers searched on foot. Divers checked the water ne…

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by Zak Failla
Damascus, MD
Breaking News
Damascus Teen Was Impaired Before Deadly I-70 Box Truck Crash In Maryland, State Police Say Damascus Teen Was Impaired Before Deadly I-70 Box Truck Crash In Maryland, State Police Say
Damascus Teen Was Impaired Before Deadly I-70 Box Truck Crash In Maryland, State Police Say A teenager who caused a deadly crash involving a box truck on I-70 in Maryland was allegedly under the influence, according to state police. Damascus resident John Amare, 18, was arrested in connection with the Monday afternoon crash that shut down the interstate and claimed the life of 32-year-old Sakee Ali Davis. Shortly before 4 p.m. on Aug. 31, troopers were called to the eastbound lanes of I-70 in Howard County near Morgan Station Road, where there was a reported two-vehicle crash. Investigators say Amare was driving east in a Genesis G80 when he struck the back of the box truck being…

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by Zak Failla
Rockville, MD
Breaking News
126 MPH In A 40: BMW Driver Charged In Double-Fatal Rockville Crash Released On Bond: Police 126 MPH In A 40: BMW Driver Charged In Double-Fatal Rockville Crash Released On Bond: Police
126 MPH In A 40: BMW Driver Charged In Double-Fatal Rockville Crash Released On Bond: Police More than three times the speed limit. That's how fast police say a Maryland man was driving his BMW before losing control in a violent crash that killed two of his passengers. Now, months after the wreck, he's facing two manslaughter charges and is back out of custody on a $5,000 unsecured bond. Daniel Danny Aguilar Medrano, 24, of Rockville, was driving a gray 2025 BMW M8 between 119 and 126 mph in a 40 mph zone moments before the March 22 crash near Norbeck Road and East Gude Drive, according to Montgomery County Police. Investigators also determined that Medrano had a blood alcohol co…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Your Community
Rabid Raccoon Confirmed In Charles County: Here's Where Officials Say It Was Found Rabid Raccoon Confirmed In Charles County: Here's Where Officials Say It Was Found
Rabid Raccoon Confirmed In Charles County: Here's Where Officials Say It Was Found A rabies alert has been issued in Maryland after a raccoon tested positive for the virus. The raccoon tested positive on Monday, Aug. 31, near Mary Drive and Shirley Boulevard in Port Tobacco, according to the Charles County Department of Health. Now, officials are looking for anyone who may have encountered it. Anyone who recently had contact with a raccoon in that area, or whose pet may have encountered one, is being asked to call the health department. Rabies is spread through the saliva of an infected animal, typically through a bite or scratch, health officials said. The virus can a…

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by Zak Failla
Edgewood, MD
Breaking News
Dead Dogs Found In Covered Crate Along Edgewood Path As Investigators Seek Answers Dead Dogs Found In Covered Crate Along Edgewood Path As Investigators Seek Answers
Dead Dogs Found In Covered Crate Along Edgewood Path As Investigators Seek Answers Something wasn't right about the covered crate sitting along a Maryland walking path. What authorities found inside was worse. Two dogs were found dead on Saturday, Aug. 22, near Harford Square Drive and J Court in Edgewood, prompting an investigation by Harford County Animal Control, according to the sheriff's office. Both animals were inside the same medium-sized metal crate, hidden beneath a sheer brown sheet and textured yellow plastic. Now investigators are hoping somebody recognizes them. One was a small male terrier-type dog with brindle coloring, officials said. The other was a …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
$125K 'Slush Fund': DC Sues Nonprofit Founder Over Money Meant For Addiction Treatment, AG Says $125K 'Slush Fund': DC Sues Nonprofit Founder Over Money Meant For Addiction Treatment, AG Says
$125K 'Slush Fund': DC Sues Nonprofit Founder Over Money Meant For Addiction Treatment, AG Says The money was supposed to help some of DC's most vulnerable residents. Instead, Maryland resident Allyson Abrams allegedly siphoned more than $125,000 from two nonprofits she founded, moving money meant for addiction treatment and other community services to herself, her spouse, and businesses tied to her real estate work, according to a lawsuit announced Monday, Aug. 31, by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Then came a deal to make some of it right. Abrams agreed in December to repay the District $110,000 over 11 months and surrender control of the nonprofits' money. Eight payments late…

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by Zak Failla
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