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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

Schools
Stafford Mother Follows Student Onto School Bus, Attacks Her In Front Of Kids, Sheriff Says Stafford Mother Follows Student Onto School Bus, Attacks Her In Front Of Kids, Sheriff Says
Stafford Mother Follows Student Onto School Bus, Attacks Her In Front Of Kids, Sheriff Says A Virginia mother is facing criminal charges after deputies say she followed a young girl onto a school bus and assaulted her during a heated confrontation caught on camera. The incident happened around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7, at a bus stop near Winding Creek Elementary School, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Google Maps street view School staff contacted law enforcement after learning about the incident, which reportedly began with an ongoing issue between two juveniles — one of whom was the daughter of the suspect. Instead of letting school officials or administr…

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by Zak Failla
News
200+ Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $875K Seized At Baltimore Port, Bound For Belgium: CBP 200+ Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $875K Seized At Baltimore Port, Bound For Belgium: CBP
200+ Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $875K Seized At Baltimore Port, Bound For Belgium: CBP A massive shipment of marijuana — more than 200 pounds — was intercepted at a Baltimore air cargo facility before it could make its way to Belgium, federal officials announced. According to US Customs and Border Protection, officers discovered 155 vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana during an inspection of air cargo manifested as “brace overalls for men / heavy duty workwear bib.” The weed was seized at the airport. US Customs and Border Protection Instead, officers found 91.3 kilograms — or 201 pounds and five ounces — of high-quality marijuana. The load had an estimated stree…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
15-Year-Old Killed In Baltimore Shooting; Three Charged With Murder: Police 15-Year-Old Killed In Baltimore Shooting; Three Charged With Murder: Police
15-Year-Old Killed In Baltimore Shooting; Three Charged With Murder: Police Three suspects have been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Maryland, police announced. Darrell Williams, 34, Zion Wimbish, 19, and Ra'Shawn Smith, 19, were arrested by Baltimore Police for the May 7 murder of John Lewis, a 15-year-old boy who was found shot in the city’s Eastern District. The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, near the 3500 block of Brehms Lane, according to police. Eastern District officers were already responding to a separate call when they heard gunfire in the area. A 19-year-old man was found at the scene …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
SWAT Standoff With Armed Man In Crisis Shuts Down Route 29 In Virginia SWAT Standoff With Armed Man In Crisis Shuts Down Route 29 In Virginia
SWAT Standoff With Armed Man In Crisis Shuts Down Route 29 In Virginia An armed man in mental crisis who fled a crash scene surrendered after a multi-agency standoff that shut down part of Route 29 for hours, Virginia authorities said. The incident began around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, when Culpeper County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash on Route 29, according to Sheriff Timothy W. Chilton. When deputies arrived, they found the crashed vehicle — but the driver was gone, and a large amount of blood was discovered inside. Drones and a Fairfax County police helicopter were deployed by investigators and the man was found in the woods n…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Killed, Passenger Airlifted To Hospital After Violent Route 13 MD Crash: State Police Woman Killed, Passenger Airlifted To Hospital After Violent Route 13 MD Crash: State Police
Woman Killed, Passenger Airlifted To Hospital After Violent Route 13 MD Crash: State Police A woman is dead and another person was flown to shock trauma after a violent two-car crash shut down a major highway in Maryland, state police said. Troopers were called around 5:21 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, to Ocean Highway (Route 13) at Flower Hill Church Road, according to Maryland State Police. A Kia Soul, driven by a 72-year-old woman, was trying to cross southbound Route 13 when it was struck by a Jeep, causing major damage. The driver of the Kia was pronounced dead at the scene. One passenger in the Kia was flown by the Maryland State Police Aviation Command to R Adams Cowley Shock…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Towering Smoke Cloud Seen For Miles After Car Fire Erupts Near DCA In Arlington (VIDEO) Towering Smoke Cloud Seen For Miles After Car Fire Erupts Near DCA In Arlington (VIDEO)
Towering Smoke Cloud Seen For Miles After Car Fire Erupts Near DCA In Arlington (Video) Black smoke billowed through the air in Virginia on Thursday morning — and it had nothing to do with electing a new pope. Crews from the Arlington County Fire Department responded early on May 8 to Gravelly Point, where they found a car fully engulfed in flames, sending smoke soaring through the air that could be seen for miles. The incident resulted in massive delays along the George Washington Parkway as crews worked to battle the blaze and clear the scene.  Breaking: Units are on scene of a fully involved vehicle fire at gravely point. Expect a large fire department response and…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Maryland Woman Dies Hero Saving Boy From Train Months After Losing Mom, Stepfather Maryland Woman Dies Hero Saving Boy From Train Months After Losing Mom, Stepfather
Maryland Woman Dies Hero Saving Boy From Train Months After Losing Mom, Stepfather Just months after losing her mother and step-father, a 20-year-old Maryland woman has died in what her family says what was an act of heroism. Summer Giffin, of Sandy Hook, was trying to save a boy from being hit by a train Tuesday night, May 6 but was hit herself, her family tells Daily Voice. The tragic accident, which left one other person dead, happened around 8:18 p.m., when emergency crews were called to the CSX rail bridge near the Maryland-West Virginia border, just outside Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, as previously reported by Daily Voice. As of press time, more th…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Motorcyclist Killed In Frederick Crash After Car Fails To Yield: State Police (DEVELOPING) Motorcyclist Killed In Frederick Crash After Car Fails To Yield: State Police (DEVELOPING)
Motorcyclist Killed In Frederick Crash After Car Fails To Yield: State Police (Developing) A motorcyclist was killed in a crash with a car that shut down a busy intersection in Frederick County during rush hour, Maryland State Police said. Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, troopers were called to the intersection of Maryland Route 80 and Kemptown Church Road in Monrovia, according to police. Troopers from the Maryland State Police Frederick Barrack responded to the two-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle. The preliminary investigation shows the motorcycle was traveling south on Route 80, and the passenger vehicle was traveling on Kem…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ
Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ A former DC police officer and registered sex offender is facing new federal charges after allegedly running a yearlong child sex trafficking operation, authorities announced. Linwood Barnhill, 59, was arrested on Thursday, May 1, in DC, and is now facing multiple federal counts for sex trafficking children by force, coercion, and related charges, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Federal officials say Barnhill, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer, allegedly recruited a series of minor children to engage in commercial sex acts between April 1, 2024, and April 29, 2025 — and…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Killed In Spotsylvania Shooting May Have Been Victim Of TikTok Prank Gone Wrong: Reports Teen Killed In Spotsylvania Shooting May Have Been Victim Of TikTok Prank Gone Wrong: Reports
Teen Killed In Spotsylvania Shooting May Have Been Victim Of TikTok Prank Gone Wrong: Reports The Virginia high school athlete who was gunned down during what was initially deemed a home invasion may have, in fact, simply been a social media prank, according to reports. Tyler Chase Butler, 27, of Spotsylvania, was arrested on Tuesday, May 6, and charged with second-degree murder in connection with a weekend shooting that left one teen dead and another wounded during a reported break-in. Deputies say Butler opened fire on three intruders around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, at a home near McKenzie Lane, after calling 911 to report a burglary in progress. Michael Bosworth Jr., 18, was s…

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by Zak Failla
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