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Saturday, aug 23

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

Police & Fire

Teen Tried Fooling Deputies Before Kicking Cop In Front Of Kids On Bus In Spotsy: Sheriff What started as a probe into a possible burglary in Spotsylvania led to the arrest of a wanted Woodbridge teen who tried to pull a fast one on deputies — all in front of children, officials say. Samantha Rodriguez, 19, is being held behind bars after a strange scene played out last week during a call for an alleged burglary in progress at an area home. According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14 to the 12200 block of Chewing Lane, where they found Rodriguez outside of the residence — though the homeowner said that …

by Zak Failla

08/21/2025

Business

Double Play, Double Payday: $500K Powerball Winner Sold At Landover Exxon Station Maryland may not have hit the $700 million Powerball jackpot Wednesday night — but two lucky Prince George’s County players are still laughing all the way to the bank. The Aug. 20 Powerball drawing didn’t crown a grand-prize winner, but it did produce a pair of $500,000 Double Play tickets sold in Landover and Riverdale, Maryland Lottery officials announced. One was sold at Landover Hills Exxon, 6579 Annapolis Road. The other? A-1 Laundromat, 6818 Riverdale Road. The winning numbers for the draw on Wednesday, Aug. 20 were: 31-59-62-65-68 with a Power Ball of 5. Both tickets matched the fi…

by Zak Failla

08/21/2025

Police & Fire

Toddler Found Beaten, Malnourished In Columbia Home; Mother Arrested: Police A mother was arrested in Pennsylvania after being found responsible for neglecting her 3-year-old child, leading to the child’s death in Maryland last year. Shalyne Brown, 27, is behind bars following an investigation into the death of her toddler in November last year, according to the Howard County Police Department. On Nov. 1, 2024, investigators from the agency were called to a Columbia home, following a report of a dead child. Upon arrival, officers found the 3-year-old with multiple bruises and scars on its body. According to a subsequent autopsy that was completed in March, the deat…

by Zak Failla

08/21/2025

Police & Fire

Oxygen Machine Blamed After Harford County Blaze Leaves Woman Critical, Pets Dead: Fire Marshal A 66-year-old woman is battling critical injuries after flames tore through her Harford County home, killing three pet cats, officials said. First responders from the Susquehanna Hose Company and nearby agencies were called shortly before 4:20 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21 to the 600 block of Linden Lane in Havre de Grace, when a fire broke out in the living room of an area home, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal. The homeowner told investigators she had just turned on her oxygen concentrator in the living room when she heard a “pop” and saw a flash of fire. Just after 4am this …

by Zak Failla

08/21/2025

Business

Republicans Warn Trump Against ‘Heavy-Handed’ Federal Role In Maryland Energy Project A group of Republicans are calling on President Donald Trump to stop what they call federal “overreach” — the use of US Marshals to protect out-of-state energy surveyors in parts of Maryland. On Wednesday, Aug. 20, more than a dozen Republican members of the Maryland House of Delegates sent a letter to Trump warning against the use of federal law enforcement amid the ongoing Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP). The project, a 70-mile transmission line proposed by New Jersey–based Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), would cut through farmland and rural communities in C…

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

Police & Fire

Teacher Linked To Florida Solicitation Case Arrested At Lovettsville Elementary School: Police A 28-year-old elementary school teacher in Virginia was hauled away from the classroom in handcuffs after being charged in a child solicitation case, police said. What started as a tip from a source in Florida landed Antonio G. Ford, an educator from Loudoun County, behind bars following a months-long investigation, authorities announced. Leesburg Police said they were first contacted by authorities in Florida in March 2025 about an investigation into the solicitation of a minor through electronic communication. Investigators in Florida told Leesburg detectives at the time that the s…

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

Police & Fire

One Dead, One Hospitalized In Shooting Near Oxon Hill Shopping Center: Police (Developing) One person was killed and two others were injured following a triple shooting in Oxon Hill, not far from the DC border, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, first responders were called to the 5100 block of Indian Head Highway, near the Eastover Center Shopping Mall, where there were reports of shots fired and multiple victims in the area. One person was pronounced dead at the scene. A second was taken to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation of his injuries. According to police, the preliminary investigation determi…

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

Traffic

Driver Freed, Hospitalized After Crash With Armored National Guard Vehicle In DC One person had to be extricated from a wrecked vehicle in DC on Wednesday after an armored National Guard vehicle struck a civilian car, officials confirmed. Shortly before 6:15 a.m. on Aug. 20, first responders were called to a section of 8th Street SE at North Carolina Avenue, where there were reports of a military vehicle that struck another driver. According to federal officials, the crash involved a DC National Guard Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (MATV) and a civilian vehicle. Following the crash, a five-vehicle convoy was halted, and DC Metropolitan Police …

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

Police & Fire

Clifton Man Pursued Two Girls On Foot, Tried To Solicit Sex Acts, Police Say A 22-year-old man is behind bars after allegedly chasing down two juvenile girls in Virginia and propositioning them for sex, police said. Officers responded to the 13000 block of Laurel Rock Drive in Clifton at 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, for a reported sex offense, according to Fairfax County Police officials on Wednesday afternoon. Police said the caller advised officers that two underage girls were walking in the area when a man approached and solicited them for sexual acts. The girls were not injured, and no physical contact was reported, according to police. Detectives fro…

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

News

No Charges For Officers After Hagerstown Man’s In-Custody Death Caught On Video: AG No charges will be filed following the officer-involved in-custody death of a Maryland man whose final moments were caught on camera, authorities announced. Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that his office will not seek charges in connection with the death of Kelvin Lashawn Baker, who died in police custody last year. The 46-year-old was placed in handcuffs and into the back of a police vehicle in Washington County as officers planned to execute a search warrant at his Hagerstown home, officials said. According to investigators, at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2024, members…

by Zak Failla

08/20/2025

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