Fair 60°

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Obituaries
‘Cousin-Dad’ Gunned Down Outside Virginia Apartment, Leaves Behind Two Daughters ‘Cousin-Dad’ Gunned Down Outside Virginia Apartment, Leaves Behind Two Daughters
‘Cousin-Dad’ Gunned Down Outside Virginia Apartment, Leaves Behind Two Daughters A beloved father from Alexandria was gunned down outside a Woodlawn apartment complex in the middle of the night, and now a Maryland man is facing murder charges in Fairfax County, authorities said. Xavier Alexander, 43, also known to friends and family as “Duval,” “Duvie,” or “Alex Kydd,” was found dead around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, April 3, on Madge Lane after a violent shootout in front of an apartment building, according to Fairfax County Police. When officers got to the scene, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Alexander died before first responders could get him to a hospi…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
MS-13 Gunman Who Walked Victims Into Gaithersburg Woods, Killed One, Now Faces Life In Prison MS-13 Gunman Who Walked Victims Into Gaithersburg Woods, Killed One, Now Faces Life In Prison
MS-13 Gunman Who Walked Victims Into Gaithersburg Woods, Killed One, Now Faces Life In Prison A Maryland MS-13 gang member who gunned down one victim and left another for dead in a wooded park has been convicted of murder, prosecutors announced. Edgard Castro-Contreras, 21, was found guilty on Friday, April 4, of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and multiple other charges tied to the November 2022 gang-related ambush that left 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon dead in Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said. The second victim, Alex Castro Sabrian, was shot several times but survived by playing dead. He then crawled through a quarter-mile of Northwest Stream …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Chevy Chase Woman Found Shot Dead By Husband In Murder-Suicide, Police Say Chevy Chase Woman Found Shot Dead By Husband In Murder-Suicide, Police Say
Chevy Chase Woman Found Shot Dead By Husband In Murder-Suicide, Police Say A married couple found shot to death inside their Montgomery County home last week have been identified as victims of a murder-suicide, police said. Kate Simoni Fralin, 61, was killed by her husband, William Scott Fralin, 63, inside their house on the 8500 block of Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Officers and fire rescue personnel were called to the scene around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, after someone found the couple dead with apparent gunshot wounds. A gun and ammunition were found nearby. Major Crimes detectives responde…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
I-95 Trash Toss, Slurred Speech Lead To DUI Hat Trick For Wanted Suspect In Stafford: Sheriff I-95 Trash Toss, Slurred Speech Lead To DUI Hat Trick For Wanted Suspect In Stafford: Sheriff
I-95 Trash Toss, Slurred Speech Lead To DUI Hat Trick For Wanted Suspect In Stafford: Sheriff A Virginia man wanted in connection to a prior DUI charge racked up his third after a traffic stop in Stafford, police said. Dion Gaines, 37, was clocked speeding southbound on I-95 around 12:56 a.m. on Friday, April 4, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy followed the vehicle as it took Exit 140 and drifted over the fog line before pulling the driver over on Bradburn Lane. Gaines had glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, deputies said. But before field sobriety tests could even begin, he started dumping trash onto the street. Deputies said Gaines was already w…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Schools
Gun Discharges In Third Grader's Backpack At Lee Hill Elementary School, Sheriff Says Gun Discharges In Third Grader's Backpack At Lee Hill Elementary School, Sheriff Says
Gun Discharges In Third Grader's Backpack At Lee Hill Elementary School, Sheriff Says A gun went off inside a third grader’s backpack at a Virginia elementary school, prompting a full classroom evacuation and an ongoing sheriff’s investigation, officials announced. The incident happened around 10:50 a.m. Monday, April 8, at Lee Hill Elementary School in Fredericksburg, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. The student’s backpack discharged a handgun while inside a third-grade classroom. According to preliminary interviews, deputies say there was no intent to harm anyone. No students or staff were injured. The teacher immediately evacuated all 26 students an…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Annapolis Bus Stop Murder Suspect Captured By US Marshals After Weeks On The Run: Police Annapolis Bus Stop Murder Suspect Captured By US Marshals After Weeks On The Run: Police
Annapolis Bus Stop Murder Suspect Captured By US Marshals After Weeks On The Run: Police A man accused of opening fire near an Anne Arundel County bus stop, killing one person and injuring a child, has been captured nearly three weeks after the deadly shooting rocked a quiet Maryland neighborhood, authorities announced. Roscoe Jerome Jones was taken into custody in around 7:11 a.m. on Monday, April 7, according to Annapolis Police. Jones is accused of fatally shooting 35-year-old John Simms Jr. on Clay Street the morning of March 19, in what investigators called a disturbing daylight attack in a busy residential area.  A young child was also hurt by debris during the gunf…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Homeless Man Facing 24 Charges After Wave Of Car Break-Ins In Lexington Park: Sheriff Homeless Man Facing 24 Charges After Wave Of Car Break-Ins In Lexington Park: Sheriff
Homeless Man Facing 24 Charges After Wave Of Car Break-Ins In Lexington Park: Sheriff A homeless man in Southern Maryland is facing two dozen charges after a string of car break-ins that rocked neighborhoods and shopping centers in Lexington Park and California, authorities said. Donell Davonne Rothwell, 54, was arrested Saturday, April 5, after investigators tied him to a rash of vehicle burglaries across the area, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday. Detectives said they started getting reports of thefts from parked cars at homes and businesses in recent days. Credit cards and valuables were stolen and later used at stores in the area, officials said. …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woodbridge Man Bit Woman, Held Her At Gunpoint During Domestic Dispute, Police Say Woodbridge Man Bit Woman, Held Her At Gunpoint During Domestic Dispute, Police Say
Woodbridge Man Bit Woman, Held Her At Gunpoint During Domestic Dispute, Police Say A Virginia man is behind bars without bond after police say he bit a 19-year-old woman and held her at gunpoint during a disturbing domestic incident in Dumfries. Kevin Jenkins, 20, of Woodbridge, was arrested Friday, April 4, after Prince William County Police responded to a reported assault that took place earlier that morning in the 3000 block of Vidalia Court. Officers say the incident unfolded around 11:30 a.m., when Jenkins and the woman—identified only as an acquaintance—got into a verbal argument that quickly turned violent. According to investigators, Jenkins pulled a firearm, hel…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Traffic
Clinton Man Killed, Woman Critical After Mustang Crashes In Montgomery County: Police Clinton Man Killed, Woman Critical After Mustang Crashes In Montgomery County: Police
Clinton Man Killed, Woman Critical After Mustang Crashes In Montgomery County: Police A 25-year-old man from Clinton was killed and a woman critically injured when a Ford Mustang slammed into a tree in Montgomery County over the weekend, police said. Officers responded to the 300 block of Travis Avenue in Gaithersburg just after midnight on Sunday, April 6, where they found the wreckage of a black 2023 Ford Mustang, Montgomery County Police said. The car had been heading east when it struck the median, jumped into the westbound lanes, and crashed into a large tree before bouncing back into the eastbound side, investigators said. The driver, identified as William Giovanis Va…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Business
Johnsonville Recalls Cheddar Brats Sold In Virginia Over Plastic Contamination Risk Johnsonville Recalls Cheddar Brats Sold In Virginia Over Plastic Contamination Risk
Johnsonville Recalls Cheddar Brats Sold In Virginia Over Plastic Contamination Risk Virginia shoppers are being advised to check their freezers after thousands of pounds of popular cheddar bratwurst were recalled due to possible plastic contamination, federal food safety officials said. More than 22,600 pounds of Johnsonville cheddar bratwurst — including some shipped to stores in Virginia — are being pulled from shelves after customers reported finding hard plastic in their food, according to a Saturday, April 5 announcement from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The affected product is a 19-ounce sealed tray with five bratwurst…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Prev Page 27 of 3333 25 26 27 28 29 Next
261 - 270 of 33,322 articles