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

Gaithersburg, MD
Obituaries
Gaithersburg Crew Mourns Father Of Four After Reported Cardiac Arrest: 'One Of Our Own' Gaithersburg Crew Mourns Father Of Four After Reported Cardiac Arrest: 'One Of Our Own' Gaithersburg Crew Mourns Father Of Four After Reported Cardiac Arrest: 'One Of Our Own'
Gaithersburg Crew Mourns Father Of Four After Reported Cardiac Arrest: 'One Of Our Own' Moises Abrahan Bueso Urrea spent his days providing for his family and leading a Maryland work crew. Now, following his sudden death, both are coming together to bring him home one last time. Bueso Urrea, a father of four and crew leader for Gaithersburg-based Terra Insulation, died on Wednesday, Oct. 28, after reportedly suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, according to a social media tribute shared following his death. His passing has left his family mourning the man they depended on for financial support, while his coworkers are remembering a dependable leader whose kindness and work ethic…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington, VA
Obituaries
Family Seeks Help Returning DC Metrobus Crash Victim To Guatemala: 'Bring Him Home' Family Seeks Help Returning DC Metrobus Crash Victim To Guatemala: 'Bring Him Home' Family Seeks Help Returning DC Metrobus Crash Victim To Guatemala: 'Bring Him Home'
Family Seeks Help Returning DC Metrobus Crash Victim To Guatemala: 'Bring Him Home' Adolfo Fernando Ruiz Morales was on his way to work when he was struck by a Metrobus in DC. Now, his family is hoping strangers can help bring him home one final time. Ruiz Morales, 53, a construction worker, was struck near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue NW on Monday, Oct. 5, suffering critical injuries that ultimately claimed his life. He was rushed to a hospital following the collision, but later died from his injuries, according to a GoFundMe organized in his memory. Now, nearly a month later, his family is trying to make one final journey possible for the …

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by Zak Failla
Stafford, VA
Breaking News
Firefighter Hospitalized As Flames Rip Through Roof Of Stafford County Home (PHOTOS) Firefighter Hospitalized As Flames Rip Through Roof Of Stafford County Home (PHOTOS) Firefighter Hospitalized As Flames Rip Through Roof Of Stafford County Home (PHOTOS)
Firefighter Hospitalized As Flames Rip Through Roof Of Stafford County Home (Photos) A raging house fire in Virginia sent flames shooting through the roof and a firefighter to the hospital. Shortly after 2:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, firefighters were dispatched to a two-story home on Basalt Drive near Stafford Village Parkway, according to Stafford County Fire and Rescue officials. By the time the first crews arrived, heavy flames and smoke were pouring from both the front and rear of the house. Photos released by the department show flames shooting high above the roofline as thick, black smoke billowed into the sky. Firefighters immediately launched an aggressive attack…

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by Zak Failla
Aldie, VA
Breaking News
Armed, Dangerous Suspect On The Loose In Loudoun County: Sheriff (DEVELOPING) Armed, Dangerous Suspect On The Loose In Loudoun County: Sheriff (DEVELOPING) Armed, Dangerous Suspect On The Loose In Loudoun County: Sheriff (DEVELOPING)
Armed, Dangerous Suspect On The Loose In Loudoun County: Sheriff (Developing) An armed and dangerous suspect is on the loose in Virginia, prompting an urgent warning from authorities as deputies search for a man believed to be traveling on foot. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is searching for Christian De Jesus Santiago, approximately 30, following an incident reported on Sunday, Nov. 1, in the area of Conejo Way and Northstar Boulevard in Aldie. Deputies have not disclosed the nature of the incident but warned that Santiago should be considered armed and dangerous. "Do NOT approach him," the sheriff's office warned in an emergency alert. Santiago was last see…

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by Zak Failla
Alexandria, VA
Breaking News
Dead Dog, New Tricks: Virginia Politician Raises Hell Over Biscuit's Voting Rights Dead Dog, New Tricks: Virginia Politician Raises Hell Over Biscuit's Voting Rights Dead Dog, New Tricks: Virginia Politician Raises Hell Over Biscuit's Voting Rights
Dead Dog, New Tricks: Virginia Politician Raises Hell Over Biscuit's Voting Rights A Virginia dog who has been dead for five years apparently has a new lease on political life. Her name was Biscuit. She was a beagle-hound mix. And according to paperwork bearing the governor's signature, the state apparently believed she was a convicted felon whose civil rights needed restoring. Now, a Virginia lawmaker is demanding answers about how a deceased family pet wound up at the center of a voting-rights controversy just days before Election Day. Del. Tom Garrett, a Republican representing parts of central Virginia, brought the unusual case to light after a constituent recei…

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by Zak Failla
Waldorf, MD
Breaking News
Knife Still In Hand As Man Found Shot Dead Outside Waldorf Bar On Halloween: Sheriff Knife Still In Hand As Man Found Shot Dead Outside Waldorf Bar On Halloween: Sheriff Knife Still In Hand As Man Found Shot Dead Outside Waldorf Bar On Halloween: Sheriff
Knife Still In Hand As Man Found Shot Dead Outside Waldorf Bar On Halloween: Sheriff William Pierre Strong still had a knife in his hand when officers found him shot dead following a violent bar fight that broke out early on Halloween morning in Southern Maryland. First responders were called shortly after 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, to The Cut Bar & Restaurant in the 2500 block of Business Park Court in Waldorf, where there were reports of a shooting and stabbing, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say Strong and another man got into an altercation, during which the 41-year-old Waldorf man pulled out a knife and threatened the other pat…

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by Zak Failla
Burke, VA
Breaking News
Speed Suspected In Deadly Three-Vehicle Chain-Reaction Crash In Burke, Police Say Speed Suspected In Deadly Three-Vehicle Chain-Reaction Crash In Burke, Police Say Speed Suspected In Deadly Three-Vehicle Chain-Reaction Crash In Burke, Police Say
Speed Suspected In Deadly Three-Vehicle Chain-Reaction Crash In Burke, Police Say A series of lane changes. A traffic signal pole. Two vehicles stopped at a red light. Daniel Locke Jr., 82, was killed in the three-vehicle crash at Fairfax County Parkway and Burke Lake Road in Burke shortly before 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to Fairfax County Police. The Fairfax Station resident was driving a 2014 Infiniti Q-70 south on Fairfax County Parkway when he made several lane changes before veering onto the right shoulder, striking a traffic signal pole, police said. The Infiniti then struck a 2007 Lexus RX 350 stopped at a red light on Burke Lake Road, causing the…

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by Zak Failla
Cockeysville-Hunt Valley, MD
Breaking News
Three Masked Men Pick Wrong Driveway On Halloween: One Dead, Two Wounded In Cockeysville Three Masked Men Pick Wrong Driveway On Halloween: One Dead, Two Wounded In Cockeysville Three Masked Men Pick Wrong Driveway On Halloween: One Dead, Two Wounded In Cockeysville
Three Masked Men Pick Wrong Driveway On Halloween: One Dead, Two Wounded In Cockeysville Three masked men approached a Maryland homeowner on Halloween night. But this was no trick-or-treat visit. One of them would end up dead, while the other two would land in hospitals after the homeowner pulled his own gun and opened fire, according to Baltimore County Police. The deadly confrontation unfolded around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the 10000 block of Greenside Drive in Cockeysville, where police say the homeowner was sitting in his driveway when the three masked men approached him. According to investigators, the men were armed with a handgun and threatened the resident…

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by Zak Failla
Elkton, MD
Breaking News
Already A Convicted Sex Offender, Harford County Man Faces New Child Sex Charges: DOJ Already A Convicted Sex Offender, Harford County Man Faces New Child Sex Charges: DOJ Already A Convicted Sex Offender, Harford County Man Faces New Child Sex Charges: DOJ
Already A Convicted Sex Offender, Harford County Man Faces New Child Sex Charges: DOJ Jason Alex Candelaria is in a familiar position. It's not a good one for the sex offender from Maryland. The 34-year-old Darlington man is facing fresh charges after being indicted in Harford County on new child sexual abuse offenses that span across three states. According to the indictment released on Friday, between November and December 2025, Candelaria used social media platforms to communicate with minors in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. But the alleged encounters didn't always stay online. Prosecutors say Candelaria coerced the children into producing sexually explic…

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by Zak Failla
Leonardtown-California, MD
Breaking News
The Cocaine Made It To Maryland, But The Passengers Didn't Always Make The Flight, Feds Say The Cocaine Made It To Maryland, But The Passengers Didn't Always Make The Flight, Feds Say The Cocaine Made It To Maryland, But The Passengers Didn't Always Make The Flight, Feds Say
The Cocaine Made It To Maryland, But The Passengers Didn't Always Make The Flight, Feds Say More than 100 kilograms of cocaine. Commercial flights. Rental cars. Mexican cartel connections. Maryland was the destination for a sprawling cross-country cocaine pipeline that federal prosecutors say operated with help from Mexican drug cartels. Now, the man prosecutors say was pulling the strings and a Dundalk woman who helped keep the cocaine moving have been convicted by a federal jury. Kobie Farmer, 49, of Hollywood, California, and Kenia Rodriguez, 27, of Baltimore County, were the latest members of the sprawling operation to be convicted, joining four co-conspirators already servin…

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by Zak Failla
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