Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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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

Hyattsville, MD
Breaking News
MS-13 Gang Leader On Terror Watchlist Arrested In Maryland After Years On ICE's Radar: Feds MS-13 Gang Leader On Terror Watchlist Arrested In Maryland After Years On ICE's Radar: Feds MS-13 Gang Leader On Terror Watchlist Arrested In Maryland After Years On ICE's Radar: Feds
MS-13 Gang Leader On Terror Watchlist Arrested In Maryland After Years On ICE's Radar: Feds A high-ranking MS-13 gang leader on the Justice Department's terrorist watchlist was arrested in Maryland after previously being encountered by federal agents during a homicide investigation in Texas, according to immigration officials. Franklin Ariel Espinal-Cabrera, 29, a Salvadoran national known as "Inconforme," was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Hyattsville, the agency announced. ICE identified Espinal-Cabrera as the "First Word Leader" of the Coronado Locos Salvatruchos clique of MS-13, a transnational gang designated as a foreign terrorist organi…

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by Zak Failla
La Plata, MD
Obituaries
Charles County Loses Longtime Fire Service Leader, Local Business Owner Bernard Winkler Jr. Charles County Loses Longtime Fire Service Leader, Local Business Owner Bernard Winkler Jr. Charles County Loses Longtime Fire Service Leader, Local Business Owner Bernard Winkler Jr.
Charles County Loses Longtime Fire Service Leader, Local Business Owner Bernard Winkler Jr. A longtime Maryland volunteer firefighter and former department president who spent more than six decades serving his community is being remembered for his leadership, generosity, and dedication to fellow first responders. Bernard R. Winkler Jr., a former president of the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department in Charles County, died on Monday, Oct. 19, the department announced. Known as "BR," Winkler joined the department in 1959 and remained a fixture in the local fire service for more than six decades. During his tenure, he held numerous leadership positions, including president, vice presi…

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by Zak Failla
Frederick, MD
Obituaries
Adamstown Taxi Driver Who Made History Dies In Crash After Decades Serving Community Adamstown Taxi Driver Who Made History Dies In Crash After Decades Serving Community Adamstown Taxi Driver Who Made History Dies In Crash After Decades Serving Community
Adamstown Taxi Driver Who Made History Dies In Crash After Decades Serving Community For more than two decades, a Guatemalan immigrant who made history as Frederick's first bilingual cab driver helped Spanish-speaking passengers feel at home in Maryland, one ride at a time. Victor Arevalo, 72, who spent 31 years building a life in Frederick County and became a familiar face behind the wheel of a local taxi, was killed in a crash near his Adamstown home on Monday, Oct. 19, leaving behind a family and community mourning his sudden death. Arevalo was driving a Honda Odyssey when he struck an equipment trailer parked along Mountville Road shortly before 2 p.m., according to the…

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by Zak Failla
Towson, MD
Breaking News
Baltimore Assault Victim Dies Five Days After Attack As Suspect Faces Upgraded Charges: Police Baltimore Assault Victim Dies Five Days After Attack As Suspect Faces Upgraded Charges: Police Baltimore Assault Victim Dies Five Days After Attack As Suspect Faces Upgraded Charges: Police
Baltimore Assault Victim Dies Five Days After Attack As Suspect Faces Upgraded Charges: Police A 38-year-old Baltimore man accused of attacking another man in Maryland is facing potentially upgraded charges after the victim died in the hospital five days later, authorities announced. Eric Clayton Cooke was arrested without incident on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the 4900 block of Hamilton Avenue in Baltimore, according to police. Investigators said Cooke was wanted in connection with an aggravated assault involving 34-year-old Breon Turner in the 1900 block of Ramsey Street on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Turner was hospitalized following the attack but died on Monday, Oct. 19, police said. Cooke …

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by Zak Failla
Lexington Park, MD
Breaking News
Maryland Inmate Gets More Prison Time After Homemade Shank Discovered In Cell: Prosecutors Maryland Inmate Gets More Prison Time After Homemade Shank Discovered In Cell: Prosecutors Maryland Inmate Gets More Prison Time After Homemade Shank Discovered In Cell: Prosecutors
Maryland Inmate Gets More Prison Time After Homemade Shank Discovered In Cell: Prosecutors Where there's smoke... sometimes there's more than fire. A broken mop handle turned into a six-inch shank has landed a Maryland inmate in even more trouble after correctional officers discovered the makeshift weapon hidden among his belongings. Charles Henry Thompson Jr., 32, of Lexington Park, was sentenced to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison for possessing the homemade weapon at the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The additional prison time will be served consecutively to a 50-year-and-six-month sentence Th…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Manassas Woman Tased After Repeatedly Reaching Under Seat During Traffic Stop: Sheriff Manassas Woman Tased After Repeatedly Reaching Under Seat During Traffic Stop: Sheriff Manassas Woman Tased After Repeatedly Reaching Under Seat During Traffic Stop: Sheriff
Manassas Woman Tased After Repeatedly Reaching Under Seat During Traffic Stop: Sheriff A Virginia woman wasn't giving up on reaching beneath her car seat without a fight, and it ultimately took a sheriff's deputy using a Taser to get her into handcuffs, authorities said. Over the weekend, a deputy from the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office stopped Manassas resident Natasha Cook, 42, for speeding on Catlett Road. What began as a routine traffic stop escalated when Cook reportedly gave conflicting answers, appeared to be shaking, and refused to get out of her Dodge after the deputy noticed her bloodshot eyes. Cook then allegedly began repeatedly reaching behind and beneath her …

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Waldorf Man Stole Nearly $200K In Checks, Had USPS Master Key Investigators Can't Explain Waldorf Man Stole Nearly $200K In Checks, Had USPS Master Key Investigators Can't Explain Waldorf Man Stole Nearly $200K In Checks, Had USPS Master Key Investigators Can't Explain
Waldorf Man Stole Nearly $200K In Checks, Had USPS Master Key Investigators Can't Explain Nearly $200,000 in stolen checks. $30,000 in cash. A mysterious master key capable of unlocking secured mailboxes across Maryland. That's what investigators uncovered while building a case against a Waldorf man who targeted mailboxes in Montgomery County, leading to a guilty plea and prison sentence nearly four years after the thefts began. Dominque James Miles, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit identity fraud involving more than $100,000 and was sentenced to eight years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office on Wed…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
On Your Side
Virginia Oysters Linked To Salmonella Outbreak Across 12 States, Prompting Widespread Recall Virginia Oysters Linked To Salmonella Outbreak Across 12 States, Prompting Widespread Recall Virginia Oysters Linked To Salmonella Outbreak Across 12 States, Prompting Widespread Recall
Virginia Oysters Linked To Salmonella Outbreak Across 12 States, Prompting Widespread Recall Oysters harvested from a Virginia river have been identified as the likely source of a Salmonella outbreak spanning 12 states, triggering a widespread recall and an emergency shutdown of shellfish harvesting. The oysters came from the Little Wicomico River in Northumberland County, where Little Wicomico Oyster Company collected the affected shellfish between Sept. 18 and Oct. 8, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Federal health officials are investigating a cluster of 27 Salmonella Telelkebir infections across 12 states, with oysters from the Virginia waterway emerging as a pot…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Breaking News
Stafford DUI Suspect Tosses Drugs Out Window In Front Of Deputy During Hit-Run Probe: Sheriff Stafford DUI Suspect Tosses Drugs Out Window In Front Of Deputy During Hit-Run Probe: Sheriff Stafford DUI Suspect Tosses Drugs Out Window In Front Of Deputy During Hit-Run Probe: Sheriff
Stafford DUI Suspect Tosses Drugs Out Window In Front Of Deputy During Hit-Run Probe: Sheriff A 23-year-old Virginia woman accused of driving drunk apparently thought she could pull a fast one on a sheriff's deputy by tossing drug paraphernalia out her window during a hit-and-run investigation, but the deputy was watching the whole time. The Fredericksburg woman was arrested on Colebrook Road in Stafford County at approximately 10:34 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after deputies responded to reports of a crash involving a driver who struck another vehicle and fled the scene. According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, a deputy tracked down the suspected vehicle and noticed damage …

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Breaking News
Manassas Maintenance Worker Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen During Washer Repair: Police Manassas Maintenance Worker Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen During Washer Repair: Police Manassas Maintenance Worker Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen During Washer Repair: Police
Manassas Maintenance Worker Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen During Washer Repair: Police An 18-year-old Virginia woman was sexually assaulted by a maintenance worker who came to her apartment to repair a washing machine, authorities said. Miguel Angel Monge Aleman, 39, of Manassas, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 20, following an investigation into the reported assault at the Orchard Glen Apartments in Prince William County, police announced. According to investigators, Monge Aleman entered the woman's apartment in the 10800 block of Clover Court at approximately 1:39 p.m. to repair a washer when he allegedly touched her inappropriately before leaving the residence. The woman re…

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by Zak Failla
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