Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

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

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Montgomery County Native Kevin Saunders' Leukemia Returns After He Fought Back To Acting Kevin Saunders had fought his way back to the camera. The Montgomery County native and Maryland actor reached remission after a battle with leukemia that began last year, rebuilt his strength, and returned to the career he had spent more than a decade pursuing. Then, while filming a commercial, Saunders learned the cancer had returned. “With heavy hearts, we share that Kevin’s leukemia has returned,” his family wrote in a new fundraiser launched as he begins another round of treatment. Saunders is back in the hospital, where chemotherapy has begun and doctors are preparing him for a bone …

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Capitol Heights-District Heights, MD

Breaking News

'Fat Goat' Kidnapping Ended With 2 Dead, Mercedes In Flames In Capitol Heights: Feds The night started with a birthday celebration. It ended with two men dead. A DC man known as “Fat Goat” was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Monday, Oct. 5, for his role in a kidnapping that spiraled from the District into Maryland before ending in a deadly shootout, federal prosecutors announced. Melvin Green, 27, served as a lookout and later took possession of a gun as his associates kidnapped two men on F Street SE in June 2023, according to court documents. Glock pistol recovered from search of Green’s residence. US Attorney's Office Green, whose nickname is …

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Springfield, VA

Breaking News

White SUV Driver Flees After Striking, Killing 44-Year-Old Pedestrian In Springfield: Police The driver never stopped. A 44-year-old man was killed in a hit-run crash in Virginia on Sunday night, Oct. 4, and Fairfax County police are now searching for the white SUV that struck him and disappeared. Thomas Gum, who had no fixed address, was walking across Old Keene Mill Road toward Backlick Road in Springfield at around 8:20 p.m. when he was hit, according to Fairfax County police. Investigators said Gum was crossing mid-block and was not in a crosswalk when an eastbound white SUV struck him in the right travel lane. The SUV kept going. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel rus…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

College Park, MD

Obituaries

'So Much Ahead': UMD Alum Olivia Stephens Dies At 26 Nearing Dental School Graduation Olivia Stephens was almost there. The 26-year-old Maryland woman had spent years working toward becoming a dentist, a goal that carried her from a neuroscience lab to the dental chair and eventually into her fourth and final year at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Stephens, a Damascus native, died last week surrounded by loved ones, according to her family, leaving behind a future that once seemed close enough to touch. “We should have been looking forward to her graduation and celebrating the beginning of her career,” her family wrote in a fundraiser created in her memory.…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Towson, MD

Your Community

Trump's Baltimore County Visit Could Snarl Tuesday Commute For Maryland Riders, MTA Warns Maryland commuters could face delays and detours on Tuesday as President Donald Trump heads to Baltimore County. The Maryland Transit Administration issued a service advisory on Monday, Oct. 5, warning riders on Commuter Bus Route 411T to prepare for increased security and traffic around Tradepoint Atlantic during Trump's visit. Customers could see delays and possible route diversions throughout Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to the agency. The 411T connects Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point with Essex, Golden Ring and White Marsh. MTA encouraged riders to allow extra travel time and chec…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Fredericksburg, VA

Breaking News

Spotsylvania Paraeducator Accused Of Shoving 7-Year-Old Student To Ground: Sheriff A Virginia paraeducator tasked with helping children is accused of hurting one of the youngest students in her care. Kimberly Smith, 43, of Stafford County, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 1, following an investigation into an alleged assault on a 7-year-old at Wilderness Elementary School in Spotsylvania County, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators say Smith was escorting the boy to have his school pictures taken on Tuesday, Aug. 25, when she was seen pushing or shoving him, knocking him to the ground. The incident was reported to school administrators two days later, and offic…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Alexandria, VA

Breaking News

24-Year-Old Alexandria Man Killed After SUV Hydroplanes, Slams Into I-495 Barrier: State Police A slick stretch of the Beltway turned deadly before sunrise in Virginia over the weekend. Abraham Wrobeh, 24, of Alexandria, was behind the wheel in Fairfax County shortly before 5 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, when his SUV lost its grip on I-495, according to Virginia State Police. The 2025 Toyota RAV4 hydroplaned near mile marker 170 before Wrobeh crashed into a traffic attenuator, investigators said. Wrobeh survived the initial impact and was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. He died several hours later. State police noted that Wrobeh was wearing his seat belt and travelin…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Rockville, MD

Breaking News

800-Foot Fuel Spill Sparks Beltway Crashes Involving Up To 12 Vehicles In Maryland (Updated) A tractor-trailer dumped fuel across nearly three football fields of the Maryland Beltway, turning the afternoon commute into a slippery mess that involved as many as a dozen vehicles. The trouble unfolded on Monday afternoon on the Inner Loop of I-495 between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue in Montgomery County. Officials believe the tractor-trailer suffered a mechanical problem before fuel began spilling across the highway, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer said. It didn't stay contained for long. The fuel spread across approximately…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Severna Park, MD

Obituaries

Steve Reynolds Coached Kids, Umpired Games, Fostered Animals Before Deadly Severna Park Hit-Run Steve Reynolds spent decades giving back to the community he called home. Now that community is stepping up for the family he left behind. The 54-year-old Severna Park man died on Sunday, Oct. 4, hours after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Ritchie Highway in Anne Arundel County, police confirmed on Monday. Officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department were called shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Severna Park, where Reynolds was struck by an SUV while in a crosswalk at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Magothy Bridge Road. He was rushed …

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Gaithersburg, MD

Breaking News

Tractor-Trailer Crash, Fuel Spill On I-495 Leads To 4-Mile Backup In Maryland (Developing) A messy Monday afternoon crash turned the Capital Beltway into a parking lot in Maryland. The crash was reported at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Oct. 5 on the Inner Loop of I-495 in Montgomery County, between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, near Exit 29, according to officials. Multiple vehicles were involved, including a tractor-trailer, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The collision also caused a fuel spill, creating hazardous road conditions as firefighters and other first responders worked at the scene. Several patients were being…

by Zak Failla

10/05/2026

Prev Page 1 of 3936 1 2 3 4 5 Next

1 - 10 of 39,357 articles