Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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

Maryland Family Welcomes Baby, Then Loses Everything In Lightning-Fueled House Fire Maryland Family Welcomes Baby, Then Loses Everything In Lightning-Fueled House Fire
Maryland Family Welcomes Baby, Then Loses Everything In Lightning-Fueled House Fire One day after welcoming their newborn daughter into the world, a Maryland family lost everything in a freak lightning-sparked house fire — including their home, belongings, and beloved pet. The devastating blaze broke out shortly before 9:50 p.m. Friday, May 30, on Gunpowder Road in Hampstead, just as thunderstorms rolled through northern Baltimore County, according to the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company. Firefighters arrived to find flames tearing through a two-story home, with fire showing from the front and side of the structure. “(Crews) assumed first due engine responsibilities and es…
Gunman Arrested Weeks After Baltimore Shooting, Police Say Gunman Arrested Weeks After Baltimore Shooting, Police Say
Gunman Arrested Weeks After Baltimore Shooting, Police Say A Baltimore man has been arrested for the murder of 37-year-old Albert Manning in the city’s Southern District, authorities announced. Ronald Hall Jr., 48, was taken into custody without incident on May 28, 2025, in connection with the shooting death of Albert Manning, according to city police. The fatal shooting happened around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 11 in the 3500 block of 2nd Street. Officers responded to reports of gunfire and found Manning suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Following an investigation, detectives identified Hall as …
Global Swatting Ringleader Who Targeted Congress, Churches, Media Pleads Guilty: DOJ Global Swatting Ringleader Who Targeted Congress, Churches, Media Pleads Guilty: DOJ
Global Swatting Ringleader Who Targeted Congress, Churches, Media Pleads Guilty: DOJ A Romanian man who led a global swatting ring that targeted members of Congress, churches, and even a former US president has pleaded guilty, federal officials announced. Thomasz Szabo, 26, known online as “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” entered his guilty plea in federal court this week, according to the US Department of Justice. Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024 and admitted to running a years-long online conspiracy that involved making fake bomb and mass-shooting threats across the United States, investigators said. He and his crew targeted more than 75 public officials…
Child Predator Targeting Girls From Behind Bars Gets 25 More Years In Virginia: AG Child Predator Targeting Girls From Behind Bars Gets 25 More Years In Virginia: AG
Child Predator Targeting Girls From Behind Bars Gets 25 More Years In Virginia: AG He was already serving time for preying on children — then investigators say he did it again, from inside a Virginia prison. A Middlesex County man has been sentenced to 25 more years behind bars after investigators say he targeted multiple underage girls from inside a Virginia prison, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Tuesday, June 3. Daniel Ebinger, 28, was convicted of two counts of use of a communications system to solicit a minor.  The new sentence, handed down by a Middlesex County Circuit Court judge, will be served consecutively to the 7-year sentence he received in 202…
10-Month Manhunt Ends With Arrests Of Virginia Trio Tied To Alexandria Shooting: Police 10-Month Manhunt Ends With Arrests Of Virginia Trio Tied To Alexandria Shooting: Police
10-Month Manhunt Ends With Arrests Of Virginia Trio Tied To Alexandria Shooting: Police A 10-month manhunt, ballistic testing, and multi-agency teamwork finally brought down a trio of violent suspects accused of spraying bullets into a Virginia home last year, police said. It took nearly a year, but all three suspects in a 2024 Alexandria shooting that rocked a residential neighborhood are now behind bars, according to police. Justin McKnight, 22, of Alexandria; Demetrius Charlton, 22, of Fairfax; and Jhamal Muskelly, 20, of Alexandria, have each been charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, the Alexandria Police Department announced Tuesday, June 3. The charges stem …
5+ Pounds Of Pot Found Inside Tesla At Pasadena Royal Farms, Police Say 5+ Pounds Of Pot Found Inside Tesla At Pasadena Royal Farms, Police Say
5+ Pounds Of Pot Found Inside Tesla At Pasadena Royal Farms, Police Say You can’t charge your car and your dealer at the same time — just ask the Maryland Tesla driver busted with a car full of pot and cash. A Pasadena man is facing charges after police say he was caught with more than five pounds of marijuana and nearly $15,000 in cash inside his Tesla at a Royal Farms in Anne Arundel County. Officers were checking on a silver Tesla parked at 2500 Mountain Road in Pasadena just after 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3, when they spotted suspected drug activity, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Police say they saw drug paraphernalia in plain view inside the…
Police Officer From Accokeek Filed Fake Reports, Vandalized Cars For Insurance Payouts: Feds Police Officer From Accokeek Filed Fake Reports, Vandalized Cars For Insurance Payouts: Feds
Police Officer From Accokeek Filed Fake Reports, Vandalized Cars For Insurance Payouts: Feds Two former police officers in Maryland used their badges to file fake theft reports, vandalize cars, and collect payouts—with one even taking a $1,000 Cash App bribe, prosecutors said. Now, they face justice. Michael Anthony Owen Jr., 36, of Accokeek, and Jaron Earl Taylor, 31, of Fort Washington, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a wide-ranging insurance fraud scheme, according to the US Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, June 3. Owen admitted to falsifying records, while Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Both were working as officers—Owen with…
‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff ‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff
‘My Body Told Me To Steal A Gun’: Felon Busted At Sonic After Wild Stafford Break-In: Sheriff His body told him to do it. Deputies told him to get in the back of the cruiser. A convicted felon who said “my body told me to steal a gun” is back behind bars after a brazen theft attempt outside a Sonic in Stafford County, authorities said. Kenneth Gibson, 36, of Culpeper, was arrested on Sunday, June 1, after deputies say he broke into a stranger’s car and tried to swipe a handgun in the parking lot of Sonic on McWhirt Loop, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to the scene around 7:37 p.m. that night after a man reported someone he didn’t know was si…
Teen Kidnapper Smashed Into Car With Rock After Victim Locked Him Out In PG County: MoCo Police Teen Kidnapper Smashed Into Car With Rock After Victim Locked Him Out In PG County: MoCo Police
Teen Kidnapper Smashed Into Car With Rock After Victim Locked Him Out In PG County: MoCo Police She screamed for help. Her captor got locked out. Then the teen used a rock to smash his way back in before being busted for kidnapping in Maryland. A Burtonsville teen is behind bars after a terrifying kidnapping that started in Montgomery County and spiraled into a high-drama scene in Prince George’s County, police said. Joel Akakpo, 18, is charged with kidnapping and second-degree assault following a Sunday evening incident that police say involved screams, shattered glass, and a desperate attempt to escape. Officers were first called around 6:25 p.m. on June 1 to Wexhall Drive and Gree…
First $1M Winning Powerball Ticket Of 2025 Sold At Parkville Safeway First $1M Winning Powerball Ticket Of 2025 Sold At Parkville Safeway
First $1M Winning Powerball Ticket Of 2025 Sold At Parkville Safeway Check those numbers, Maryland — someone just went from grocery run to millionaire. A Powerball ticket worth $1 million was sold in Parkville for the Monday, June 2 drawing, marking Maryland’s first second-tier Powerball win of 2025, according to the Maryland Lottery. The lucky numbers were: 01-07-44-57-61, with a Powerball of 21. The winning ticket was purchased at the Safeway located at 8858 Waltham Woods Road in Baltimore County. For selling the hot ticket, the store will receive a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery. Officials are urging the mystery winner to sign the back of the ticket imme…
Prev Page 8 of 3377 6 7 8 9 10 Next
71 - 80 of 33,763 articles