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Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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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

Obituaries
‘He Lit Up Every Room’: Virginia Boy, 12, Killed In Flood Remembered As Funny, Fearless Friend ‘He Lit Up Every Room’: Virginia Boy, 12, Killed In Flood Remembered As Funny, Fearless Friend
‘He Lit Up Every Room’: Virginia Boy, 12, Killed In Flood Remembered As Funny, Fearless Friend A small town in Virginia is heartbroken after a shining light was taken from them during the recent storms in the region. Days after 12-year-old Jordan Sims was swept away by deadly floodwaters, hundreds are coming together to mourn the loss of a boy who, according to loved ones, had a smile that could brighten even the darkest day. Sims wasn’t just any kid. He was that kid, they said. The one who lit up every single room he walked into. The one with the fearless grin, the loud laugh, and the kind of energy that pulled everyone in.  Family and friends say he had a heart big enoug…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Charles County Man Who Pointed Gun At School Bus Full Of Kids Avoids More Jail Time Charles County Man Who Pointed Gun At School Bus Full Of Kids Avoids More Jail Time
Charles County Man Who Pointed Gun At School Bus Full Of Kids Avoids More Jail Time A Maryland man who pointed a gun at a bus full of middle schoolers will avoid any additional jail time after a judge gave him credit for time served. Richard William Ellis, 48, of Newburg, was sentenced to five years in prison with all but 142 days suspended after pleading guilty to 19 counts of second-degree assault, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Friday, May 16. Ellis had already spent 142 days behind bars since his arrest in December 2024. He will now serve five years of supervised probation and was ordered to remove all firearms from his home. The charges stem f…

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by Zak Failla
News
‘Should I Smoke Em?’ Maryland Man’s Viral Gun Threat To Cop Blows Up In His Face ‘Should I Smoke Em?’ Maryland Man’s Viral Gun Threat To Cop Blows Up In His Face
‘Should I Smoke Em?’ Maryland Man’s Viral Gun Threat To Cop Blows Up In His Face A Montgomery County man who pointed a loaded gun at a police officer while recording himself on Instagram—captioning the video “Should I smoke em”—has learned his punishment, prosecutors announced. William Alvarenga, 21, of Gaithersburg, will serve five years in prison as part of a 33-year sentence, with all but five years suspended.  He will also be placed on five years of supervised probation when he gets out, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office on Friday, May 16. It all started on Nov. 4, 2024, when detectives were tipped off about a disturbing video circul…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Officer Justified In Fatal Police Station Shooting In Woodbridge, Review Continues: Police Officer Justified In Fatal Police Station Shooting In Woodbridge, Review Continues: Police
Officer Justified In Fatal Police Station Shooting In Woodbridge, Review Continues: Police A months-long independent investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting of a knife-wielding man outside a Virginia police station has cleared the officer of any criminal wrongdoing, Prince William County Police announced Friday, May 16. But the case isn’t over yet. The update comes more than five months after 58-year-old Michael David Burke was shot and killed outside the Central District Police Station and Fire & Rescue Station 26 on Davis Ford Road in Woodbridge.  It happened around 5 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Police said a uniformed officer, just finishing their…

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by Zak Failla
News
Toddler Falls 15 Stories From White Oak Apartment, Survives With Broken Bones, Police Say Toddler Falls 15 Stories From White Oak Apartment, Survives With Broken Bones, Police Say
Toddler Falls 15 Stories From White Oak Apartment, Survives With Broken Bones, Police Say He fell 15 stories — and lived to tell about it. A 2-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after falling from a 15th-floor balcony in Montgomery County, police say. The fall happened around 2:10 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at an apartment building on Oak Leaf Drive in White Oak, according to Montgomery County Police, who are now investigating. First responders arrived to find the toddler in the bushes below after the fall, police said. Amazingly, the boy survived. Officials say the child was rushed to the hospital with a broken leg and several internal injuries, but he is expected to recover. De…

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by Zak Failla
News
Suicidal Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Officers In Essex, Police Say Suicidal Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Officers In Essex, Police Say
Suicidal Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Officers In Essex, Police Say A knife-wielding man is recovering in the hospital after being shot by police in Maryland during a confrontation in Baltimore County, authorities announced. The shooting was reported around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, in the 1000 block of Pine Road in Essex, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. Officers had been called to the area for a report of a missing “suicidal subject,” police said. When they arrived, they located the man, who has not been identified, armed with a knife. Officers say they gave multiple orders for the man to drop the weapon, but he allegedly refuse…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Brazen Thieves Hit Waldorf Store Twice In One Day, Caught With $20K Haul In Flashy SUV: Sheriff Brazen Thieves Hit Waldorf Store Twice In One Day, Caught With $20K Haul In Flashy SUV: Sheriff
Brazen Thieves Hit Waldorf Store Twice In One Day, Caught With $20K Haul In Flashy SUV: Sheriff Talk about bold. Two Maryland suspects are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of fragrances from a department store in Waldorf — then coming back for more the very same day, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The luxury crime spree came to a crashing halt after officers say the pair stuffed the stolen goods into a bright electric blue Range Rover and parked it at a nearby restaurant before going inside. Patrol officers were called to the restaurant's parking lot on Saturday, May 10, after store loss prevention spotted the suspects, later identified as Robert Lee …

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by Zak Failla
News
DC Metro Rider Beats 65-Year-Old Man Before Nationals Game, Prosecutors Say DC Metro Rider Beats 65-Year-Old Man Before Nationals Game, Prosecutors Say
DC Metro Rider Beats 65-Year-Old Man Before Nationals Game, Prosecutors Say It started with a trip to the Nationals game. It ended with a stranger in handcuffs and a senior citizen in the hospital. A 20-year-old man from the District has been indicted on a felony assault charge after allegedly attacking a 65-year-old man at the Navy Yard Metro Station in DC last summer, officials announced. Te’Vaughn Brown is accused of punching the Peter Munro in the face and head multiple times in an unprovoked assault on Aug. 9, 2024, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The attack happened just before 3:30 p.m. on game day, as the victim exited a train and tried to walk up t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Fatal Shooting Under Investigation After PG County Barricade: Police (DEVELOPING) Fatal Shooting Under Investigation After PG County Barricade: Police (DEVELOPING)
Fatal Shooting Under Investigation After PG County Barricade: Police (Developing) One person was killed during a barricade incident in Prince George's County on Friday afternoon, authorities confirmed. Officers from the Seat Pleasant Police Department and other nearby agencies were called to a home in the 6400 block of Greig Street, where a person barricaded himself inside.  Shortly after 1:20 p.m. on May 16, investigators say that the incident has turned into a fatal shooting investigation. More information is expected to be released as Prince George's and Seat Pleasant police investigate the shooting. Check Daily Voice for updates. Want breaking news in the DMV…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Rockville Man Pulled Gun On Driver During I-270 Road Rage Incident, Police Say Rockville Man Pulled Gun On Driver During I-270 Road Rage Incident, Police Say
Rockville Man Pulled Gun On Driver During I-270 Road Rage Incident, Police Say A Rockville man accused of pulling a loaded gun on another driver during a road rage meltdown on I-270 is behind bars without bond, Maryland State Police announced. Joshua Johnson, 43, was arrested Thursday, May 15, after a driver called 911 to report that a man in a black Hyundai Santa Fe pointed a firearm at them on I-270 near Montrose Road, police said. The victim was not hurt, but shaken up. Troopers from the Rockville Barrack responded quickly and launched an investigation alongside the Maryland State Police Highway Gun Crimes Initiative. Police identified Johnson as the suspect and …

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by Zak Failla
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