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

Arlington, VA
Your Community
They Tried To Stay Open, But Flood Damage Finally Forces Arlington Restaurant To Close They Tried To Stay Open, But Flood Damage Finally Forces Arlington Restaurant To Close
They Tried To Stay Open, But Flood Damage Finally Forces Arlington Restaurant To Close For weeks, they tried to keep the pasta coming. The water damage finally won. Corso Italian in Arlington's Village at Shirlington has been forced to close temporarily after flooding caused significant damage to the restaurant earlier this month, leaving dozens of employees facing an unexpected stretch without their regular paychecks. Water entered both of Corso's dining rooms and its basement on Sunday, Aug. 2, during an ongoing construction project, according to an email from the restaurant shared online. But the popular eatery didn't immediately shut down. For the next several week…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Breaking News
They Tell Hikers To 'Think Twice' Before Taking On This Maryland Trail; Sunday Showed Why They Tell Hikers To 'Think Twice' Before Taking On This Maryland Trail; Sunday Showed Why
They Tell Hikers To 'Think Twice' Before Taking On This Maryland Trail; Sunday Showed Why A Sunday morning hike turned into a pair of rescue missions along one of Maryland's most notoriously unforgiving trails. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to two separate emergencies around 9 a.m. on Aug. 23 along Billy Goat Trail A near the Potomac River in Great Falls, spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The first sent rescuers toward Lamberts Island following an initial report of people in the water and a medical emergency. Crews ultimately found a young hiker who had apparently fainted or passed out from exhaustion, according to Piringer. The hiker refused trans…

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by Zak Failla
Annandale, VA
Breaking News
Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Crash At Annandale Intersection (DEVELOPING) Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Crash At Annandale Intersection (DEVELOPING)
Motorcyclist Fighting For Life After Crash At Annandale Intersection (Developing) A Sunday afternoon ride in Virginia ended with a motorcyclist fighting for his life. The crash was reported near Braddock Road and Pine Road in Annandale shortly before Fairfax County Police issued an alert around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23. A man riding the motorcycle suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, police said. His condition was not immediately available beyond the initial assessment. The crash prompted a heavy police response as investigators began working to determine what happened. Eastbound Braddock Road was closed at Clifton Street followi…

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by Zak Failla
Reisterstown, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Woman's Death Deemed Homicide 15 Years Later, But Case Won't Be Reopened: AG Maryland Woman's Death Deemed Homicide 15 Years Later, But Case Won't Be Reopened: AG
Maryland Woman's Death Deemed Homicide 15 Years Later, But Case Won't Be Reopened: AG A Maryland woman stopped breathing after being restrained by police. Fifteen years later, independent medical examiners concluded her death should have been classified as a homicide. But the case still won't be reopened. The Maryland Attorney General's Office announced following a new review that it found insufficient evidence to pursue further investigation or criminal charges in the 2010 death of Mary Croker, 41. Croker died on July 16, 2010, after Baltimore County Police officers responded to the area of Eastern Avenue and Hawthorn Road for a report of a woman stealing property from a v…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Virginia Woman Traded Drugs For Gun While Trafficking Meth, Feds Say Virginia Woman Traded Drugs For Gun While Trafficking Meth, Feds Say
Virginia Woman Traded Drugs For Gun While Trafficking Meth, Feds Say A Virginia woman who prosecutors say turned interstate drug runs into a pipeline for meth is heading to federal prison. Pamela Michelle Fansler, 52, of Bristol, was sentenced to five years behind bars after admitting to trafficking drugs from North Carolina into Washington County, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia. Federal prosecutors said Fansler and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine between July and August 2025, with Fansler traveling to Asheville, North Carolina, to pick up the drugs before bringing them back into Virginia for redistr…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
He May Not Look Like This Anymore: Charles County Authorities Hunt Armed Carjacking Fugitive He May Not Look Like This Anymore: Charles County Authorities Hunt Armed Carjacking Fugitive
He May Not Look Like This Anymore: Charles County Authorities Hunt Armed Carjacking Fugitive A fugitive hunt spanning Maryland and DC now comes with a catch: The man authorities are looking for may not look like the photo they're circulating. The Charles County Sheriff's Office and US Marshals are searching for 21-year-old Indian Head resident David Thomas Alston, who is wanted in connection with an armed carjacking reported in May, officials announced. Investigators say Alston may have since changed his appearance by changing his hairstyle. That's significant because authorities say the photo released during the manhunt is the only one they have available. Officials said over th…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Cop Fired After Viral Video Showed Him Chasing, Striking Man With Cruiser: Police Baltimore Cop Fired After Viral Video Showed Him Chasing, Striking Man With Cruiser: Police
Baltimore Cop Fired After Viral Video Showed Him Chasing, Striking Man With Cruiser: Police A viral police chase that stunned Maryland has now cost a Baltimore officer his badge. Baltimore Police terminated Officer Robert A. Parks on Friday, Aug. 21, one day after he was convicted in connection with the now-infamous October 2025 encounter that showed his patrol car chasing a man through West Baltimore. Parks was found guilty of second-degree assault, reckless driving, and three counts of misconduct in office following a trial over the Oct. 28, 2025 incident, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. The video can be viewed here. He is scheduled to be sentenced o…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Wanted Baltimore Teen Found Dead As Police Close In After 17-Year-Old Girl's Murder: Police Wanted Baltimore Teen Found Dead As Police Close In After 17-Year-Old Girl's Murder: Police
Wanted Baltimore Teen Found Dead As Police Close In After 17-Year-Old Girl's Murder: Police The Maryland man wanted for a deadly July shooting of a Milford Mill Academy student was reportedly found dead amid the ongoing manhunt. An alert was issued by Metro Crime Stoppers this week as they sought to track down 18-year-old Christian Hursey, who is accused of fatally shooting Jada Sellers, 17, late last month. According to reports, late on Thursday night, authorities were serving a search warrant in Woodlawn when they heard a gunshot coming from the basement. That's where they found Hursey suffering from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He …

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
DC Man Stabbed Girlfriend Over Moving In, Then Tried To Convince Her She Did It Herself: Feds DC Man Stabbed Girlfriend Over Moving In, Then Tried To Convince Her She Did It Herself: Feds
DC Man Stabbed Girlfriend Over Moving In, Then Tried To Convince Her She Did It Herself: Feds James Callen did not handle rejection from his girlfriend well. Now, he's heading to prison for decades. The 42-year-old District man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for repeatedly stabbing his former partner in July 2024, federal authorities announced on Friday afternoon. Things took a twisted turn on July 12, 2024, when Callen and his girlfriend went to her brother's apartment in Southeast DC. While there, he asked his partner to move in with him, and then became enraged when she said she did not want to live with him. The following morning, while Callen and the …

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
4-Year-Old Found Underwater After Neighbors Rush Into Virginia Pond To Save Him (DEVELOPING) 4-Year-Old Found Underwater After Neighbors Rush Into Virginia Pond To Save Him (DEVELOPING)
4-Year-Old Found Underwater After Neighbors Rush Into Virginia Pond To Save Him (Developing) Three calls came in over 10 frantic minutes in Virginia. The last one sent everyone racing toward a pond. It began at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, when a Fauquier County resident called 911 after spotting a small child walking across his property on security cameras, according to the sheriff's office. The boy's parents called next to report their 4-year-old missing. Then a neighbor several hundred yards up the street called with the most alarming report yet: He had seen a small child jump into a pond. A deputy who had already reached the property where the boy was first s…

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by Zak Failla
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