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

Columbia, MD

Traffic

Motorcyclist Killed Trying To Pass Transit Bus On Route 32 In Columbia: Police A motorcyclist was killed in Maryland after police say an attempt to pass a transit bus on Route 32 ended in a violent crash late Wednesday night. The collision happened around 10:39 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, on the eastbound lanes of the highway between Route 29 and Shaker Drive in Howard County, according to police. Investigators say the rider was operating a 2024 Suzuki GSX1300 eastbound when they attempted to pass a transit bus traveling in the same direction. The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the bus, causing the rider to lose control and leave the roadway. The motorcyclist…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2026

Bel Air, MD

News

Rabid Fox May Have Exposed People, Pets In Bel Air, Health Officials Warn Maryland health officials are warning that a rabid fox may have exposed people and pets after testing positive for the virus near a Bel Air neighborhood. The fox was found near the 2500 block of Cullum Road in Harford County, where the Health Department said Thursday, July 9, that anyone who had direct contact with the animal, or whose pets may have interacted with it, should call officials for follow-up. The Harford County Health Department received confirmation from the Maryland Department of Health that the fox tested positive for rabies. Officials emphasized that simply seeing a fox is…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2026

Pikesville, MD

Traffic

33 Hospitalized After MTA Bus Slams Into FedEx Office, Hits 7 Vehicles In Pikesville (Updated) The numbers keep climbing. At least 33 people were ultimately taken to hospitals after an MTA bus slammed into a FedEx Office, crashed into seven other vehicles, and trapped two people in Maryland, according to updated information released late Wednesday night by the Baltimore County Fire Department. The crash happened shortly after 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, in the 1500 block of Reisterstown Road in Pikesville, where the bus left a trail of mangled vehicles before crashing into the storefront and triggering a second-alarm mass casualty incident. 1500 block of Reisterstown Road…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2026

Chesapeake City, MD

Lifestyle

Maryland Teen Nearly Used State-Record Fish As Bait Before Realizing What He'd Caught Cooper Clark almost threw away a record-setting catch. Instead, a Maryland teenager wound up in the state record books after a fish he and his crew planned to use as bait turned out to be the biggest false albacore ever officially landed in Maryland's Atlantic Division. The catch came on Friday, July 3, off Ocean City at an offshore fishing spot known as the Jackspot, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Clark, 19, and his fishing party were trolling for bluefin tuna with skirted ballyhoo when Clark hooked what everyone assumed was a small tuna. It wasn't. The fish …

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Arlington, VA

Obituaries

'I Lost My Son': Family Honors 19-Year-Old Taken By 'Senseless Violence' In DC A DC mother is living every parent's worst nightmare. Instead of planning her 19-year-old son's future, Latoya Bolar is planning his funeral after what she calls an act of "senseless violence" stole his life before it had the chance to truly begin. Her son, Turray Simms, was fatally shot early Monday morning, July 6, leaving behind a grieving family now asking for help to lay him to rest and begin putting the pieces back together. "My family and I are devastated by this horrific, unexpected tragedy," Bolar wrote in an online fundraiser. "I recently lost my son, Turray Simms, on July 6 to s…

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Ellicott City, MD

Police & Fire

Armed Robbery Suspects Already Jailed In Baltimore County Now Charged In Howard County The arrests weren't the end of the story. Less than a week after Baltimore County police announced the arrests of two men accused of carrying out a string of armed robberies targeting business owners, investigators in neighboring Howard County say the same suspects are now facing even more charges tied to another series of violent holdups. Howard County police announced on Wednesday, July 8, that 28-year-old Timothy Evans Jr. and 29-year-old Diamante Gilliam have been charged in three armed robberies that occurred in June in Ellicott City and West Friendship. According to investigators, th…

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Suitland, MD

Police & Fire

Second Jury Convicts Man In Brutal Murder Of Suitland Father After Mistrial: Prosecutors The first trial ended without a verdict. The second left little doubt. A Prince George's County jury has convicted a Temple Hills man in the 2024 murder of Suitland father Brian Michael Speaks, bringing an end to a case that prosecutors had to try twice after the first proceedings ended in a mistrial. Francis Xavier Holmes Jr., 31, was found guilty Wednesday, July 8, of first-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, and illegal possession of a firearm following a disqualifying conviction, Prince George's County State's Attorney Tara Jackson announced. Holme…

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Pikesville, MD

Traffic

30+ Evaluated In Mass Casualty Incident After MTA Bus Plows Into Pikesville Building (Updated) A routine evening commute turned into chaos in Maryland. An MTA bus slammed into a building in Baltimore County on Wednesday evening, July 8, triggering a mass casualty incident that left more than 30 people injured and at least one person critically hurt, according to fire officials. The crash happened around 6:10 p.m. in the 1500 block of Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. The Baltimore County Fire Department said the bus crashed into a building, trapping at least one person inside. Crews immediately declared a second-alarm mass casualty incident as firefighters, paramedics, and rescue tea…

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Arlington, VA

Police & Fire

Caught On Camera: Suspect Climbs Into DC Ambulance, Steals Equipment While Crew Treats Patient While paramedics were inside helping someone in need, police say a thief was helping himself. Police in the nation's capital are searching for a man accused of climbing into an unattended DC Fire and EMS ambulance in Northeast Washington and stealing equipment while crews were responding to an emergency call. The theft happened around 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, in the Unit block of K Street NE. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, firefighters and paramedics had responded to a call and were inside a nearby location assisting a patient when the suspect entered the unoccupied …

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

Alexandria, VA

Police & Fire

Virginia Police Officer Turned Off Body Camera Before Raping Woman At Hotel: Feds She thought she was getting a ride back to her hotel. Instead, federal prosecutors say a police officer in Virginia turned off his body camera, took her inside her room, and raped her while on duty. Former Newport News Police Officer Raheem Massiah Askew was indicted on Wednesday, July 8, by a federal grand jury on a charge of deprivation of rights under color of law stemming from the alleged March 14 assault, according to the US Attorney's Office. Investigators say Askew and another Newport News officer, along with firefighters and EMTs, responded that night to a report of a woman lying o…

by Zak Failla

07/08/2026

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