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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

Police & Fire
Virginia Fugitive Hits Cop Car, Escapes During Drug Probe In Manassas: Police Virginia Fugitive Hits Cop Car, Escapes During Drug Probe In Manassas: Police
Virginia Fugitive Hits Cop Car, Escapes During Drug Probe In Manassas: Police A 21-year-old Manassas woman who allegedly rammed a Prince William County Police cruiser during a wild escape attempt has been arrested, officials said. Jessica Siomara Rivera-Vanegas was taken into custody on Sunday, July 6, nearly two weeks after police say she slammed into a marked patrol car while trying to flee a drug investigation in Manassas. The chaos began shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, June 23, when detectives spotted a suspicious vehicle parked behind a business in the 10400 block of Sudley Manor Drive, police said. As officers approached and saw what appeared to be illegal dr…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Murder-Suicide: Baltimore County Police ID Dundalk Shooter, Victim (UPDATED) Murder-Suicide: Baltimore County Police ID Dundalk Shooter, Victim (UPDATED)
Murder-Suicide: Baltimore County Police ID Dundalk Shooter, Victim (Updated) Police have identified the two men found dead after a suspected murder-suicide in Maryland that rocked a neighborhood Monday afternoon. According to the Baltimore County Police Department, 35-year-old James Skarda IV was shot and killed in the 8200 block of Bullneck Road in Dundalk around 4:20 p.m. on Monday, July 7. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspected gunman, 37-year-old Ricky Stem, was found shortly afterward near Dundalk Avenue and Liberty Parkway with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said in a July 8 update. He was taken to a hospital, where he…

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by Zak Failla
News
‘Quack’ Doctor, Fake Scripts, No Medical Training: Virginia Exec Gets Prison Time: DOJ ‘Quack’ Doctor, Fake Scripts, No Medical Training: Virginia Exec Gets Prison Time: DOJ
‘Quack’ Doctor, Fake Scripts, No Medical Training: Virginia Exec Gets Prison Time: DOJ A former pain clinic executive will spend the next three years in federal prison after admitting she helped cover up illegal drug activity and healthcare fraud — and knowingly let unqualified employees treat patients, including those struggling with addiction, authorities announced. Jennifer Adams, 52, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison after pleading guilty last year to helping conceal fraud and drug conspiracies at a chain of pain management clinics in southwest Virginia, according to the US Attorney's Office. Adams served as the Chief Operatin…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Drug Trafficking Rings Uncovered During Hagerstown Retail Theft Sting, Police Say Drug Trafficking Rings Uncovered During Hagerstown Retail Theft Sting, Police Say
Drug Trafficking Rings Uncovered During Hagerstown Retail Theft Sting, Police Say Nearly 100 people have been arrested or charged in a massive retail theft crackdown in Maryland that police say also uncovered stolen vehicles, illegal guns, and drug trafficking organizations. The Hagerstown Police Department announced the results of “Operation Blue Light Special,” a year-long investigation targeting repeat retail theft offenders, fencing operations, and criminal drug networks. “The objectives of the investigation were to identify repeat offenders who commit retail thefts from multiple stores, identify where the stolen property was being sold, and ultimately identify the d…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
100+ Gallons Of Diesel Spill After Tractor-Trailer Overturns On I-295 (PHOTOS) 100+ Gallons Of Diesel Spill After Tractor-Trailer Overturns On I-295 (PHOTOS)
100+ Gallons Of Diesel Spill After Tractor-Trailer Overturns On I-295 (Photos) A tractor-trailer overturned on I-295 in Washington, DC, sending debris onto railroad tracks, taking down power lines, and spilling 100 gallons of diesel — but, no one was hurt, authorities said. DC Fire and EMS crews responded around 10:45 p.m. on Monday, July 7, to a crash involving a big rig on the northbound side of I-295 at Benning Road NE. Crash with overturned tractor trailer N/B 295 at Benning Rd NE. Both occupants self extricated. Also have wires down. Request hazmat unit for leaking diesel. Also request CSX halt rail traffic due to debris thrown onto tracks. #DCsBravest — DC F…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Clarksburg Mother Of 2 Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On I-270: State Police Clarksburg Mother Of 2 Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On I-270: State Police
Clarksburg Mother Of 2 Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On I-270: State Police A Maryland mother of a pair of young boys was one of two people killed in a wrong-way crash on I-270 in Montgomery County over the holiday weekend, state police say. Ashley Salazar, 25, of Clarksburg, and Jeremy De La Torre, 33, of Frederick, were both pronounced dead by first responders after their vehicles collided in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 5, Maryland State Police said. The crash happened shortly before 3 a.m. on northbound lanes of I-270 at Germantown Road, according to state police. Investigators said Salazar was driving a Chevy Cruz south in the northbound lanes of…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Girl, 3, Killed In DC Drive-By Shooting While Sitting In Parked Car With Family, Police Say Girl, 3, Killed In DC Drive-By Shooting While Sitting In Parked Car With Family, Police Say
Girl, 3, Killed In DC Drive-By Shooting While Sitting In Parked Car With Family, Police Say A 3-year-old girl shot while sitting in a parked car in Washington, DC has died, police said, and the case is now being investigated as a homicide. Honesty Cheadle, of Southeast DC, was struck by gunfire around 3 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, in the 1000 block of 14th Street SE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. She was inside a parked vehicle with her family when at least one suspect “began discharging a firearm in the block,” police said. Honesty was shot in the upper body. DC Fire and EMS responded to the scene and rushed her to an area hospital, where she was treated for cri…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Bomb Squad Called After Pipe Bomb Scare In Maryland — ‘No Threat,’ Officials Say Bomb Squad Called After Pipe Bomb Scare In Maryland — ‘No Threat,’ Officials Say
Bomb Squad Called After Pipe Bomb Scare In Maryland — ‘No Threat,’ Officials Say A suspicious item found during a brush fire in Salisbury triggered a bomb squad response and multi-agency investigation Monday afternoon — but officials say it turned out to be non-hazardous. Firefighters with the Salisbury Fire Department were called to the area of the 200 block of E. Market Street around 12:15 p.m. on July 7, where they discovered an object resembling a PVC pipe bomb, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The Bomb Squad was immediately requested to evaluate the scene.  Bomb Technicians conducted diagnostics on the item, and after a thorough check, they …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Suspected Maryland Murder-Suicide In Dundalk Under Investigation: Police (DEVELOPING) Suspected Maryland Murder-Suicide In Dundalk Under Investigation: Police (DEVELOPING)
Suspected Maryland Murder-Suicide In Dundalk Under Investigation: Police (Developing) Two people are dead, including the suspected gunman, after a shooting in Dundalk that is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide, police said. Officers with the Baltimore County Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 8200 block of Bullneck Road around 4:20 p.m. on Monday, July 7, authorities said. One man was found on scene with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. #BCoPD Officers are currently on the scene of homicide in the area of Faircross & Bullneck Road., 21222. One individual has been pronounced deceased. Prelimin…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (PHOTOS) Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (PHOTOS)
Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (Photos) A fast-moving basement fire forced a major emergency response to a Fredericksburg home Monday morning, sending smoke pouring through the house and prompting a multi-agency effort to stop it from spreading upstairs, officials said. Firefighters were called to the Fox Chase Subdivision around 8:30 a.m. on July 7, where they found heavy smoke coming from the front and rear of a three-story home, the Fredericksburg Fire Department reported. Crews made a quick entry through a walk-out basement door and encountered thick smoke and “high heat conditions” as they attacked active flames in one of th…

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by Zak Failla
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