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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
Maryland Woman Dies Months After Being Hit By Pickup In Rockville Parking Lot: Police Maryland Woman Dies Months After Being Hit By Pickup In Rockville Parking Lot: Police
Maryland Woman Dies Months After Being Hit By Pickup In Rockville Parking Lot: Police A woman has died months after she was hit by a pickup truck that lost control in a Rockville parking lot, police announced. Shanming Wei, 60, of Ellicott City, was critically injured around 12:38 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, when a white 2020 Ford F-150 slammed into her and another woman in the 500 block of Dover Road, according to the Montgomery County Police Collision Reconstruction Unit. Investigators said the driver of the truck was reversing into a loading bay when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle went off course and struck both women as they loaded items into the trunk…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Mechanicsville Man Who Set His Own House On Fire Admits To Torching Parents’ Car: Officials Mechanicsville Man Who Set His Own House On Fire Admits To Torching Parents’ Car: Officials
Mechanicsville Man Who Set His Own House On Fire Admits To Torching Parents’ Car: Officials A Southern Maryland man is behind bars after allegedly setting two fires in three days— one that destroyed his own home, and another that burned his parents’ car, fire officials said. Michael Robert Guy, 47, of Mechanicsville, was arrested early Monday, June 23, shortly after flames tore through his residence on Morganza Turner Road, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Crews from the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department responded around 1 a.m. and found the home engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading from the attached garage.  The house was declared a total…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woodbridge Mom Found Drunk, Asleep As 1-Year-Old Daughter Wanders Alone Outside, Police Say Woodbridge Mom Found Drunk, Asleep As 1-Year-Old Daughter Wanders Alone Outside, Police Say
Woodbridge Mom Found Drunk, Asleep As 1-Year-Old Daughter Wanders Alone Outside, Police Say A Virginia mother was arrested after police say she passed out inside a mobile home while her 1-year-old daughter was found wandering alone outside. Yudeyky Selena Chavez-Ruiz, 22, was charged with felony child neglect after officers responded to a call around 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at the Bel Air Mobile Home Park in the 1800 block of Bel Air Road in Woodbridge, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Police said the toddler was found unsupervised outside the home, with no guardian in sight. Officers entered the residence and found Chavez-Ruiz "intoxicated and sle…

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by Zak Failla
News
Dad Dead, Mother Paralyzed, 'Bubbly' 7-Year-Old Left Reeling After I-95 Crash In Elkridge Dad Dead, Mother Paralyzed, 'Bubbly' 7-Year-Old Left Reeling After I-95 Crash In Elkridge
Dad Dead, Mother Paralyzed, 'Bubbly' 7-Year-Old Left Reeling After I-95 Crash In Elkridge A 7-year-old Maryland girl is facing an unimaginable reality. Her father is gone. Her mother is paralyzed. Her future—once filled with swim meets, Girl Scout adventures, and time with her two dogs—is now shaped by grief and recovery. Her name is Novi. She was not in the car early on Sunday, June 8, when her parents, Saidou and Tearraney Zanguina, were involved in a devastating crash on I-95 in Howard County.  But her world changed forever in a matter of seconds. According to Maryland State Police, the five-vehicle crash happened just after 2 a.m. on southbound Interstate 95, north …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Ticket Worth $1K A Week For Life Sold At Lanham Wegmans Ticket Worth $1K A Week For Life Sold At Lanham Wegmans
Ticket Worth $1K A Week For Life Sold At Lanham Wegmans Someone just turned a grocery run into a goldmine. A winning Cash4Life lottery ticket worth $1,000 a week for life was sold at the Wegmans in Lanham, Lottery officials say.. According to the Maryland Lottery, the ticket matched the first five numbers—17, 26, 30, 47, 57—from the Wednesday, June 18 drawing, missing only the Cash Ball (04) to claim the game’s top prize. Still, it was enough to lock in the second-tier win: a $1,000 weekly payday for life, or a $1 million lump sum before taxes. This is the first second-tier Cash4Life win in Maryland this year and the 12th since the state joine…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Elderly Woman Raped Inside Manassas Assisted Living Facility During Burglary, Police Say Elderly Woman Raped Inside Manassas Assisted Living Facility During Burglary, Police Say
Elderly Woman Raped Inside Manassas Assisted Living Facility During Burglary, Police Say A Manassas man is behind bars after police say he broke into a Virginia assisted living facility and raped an elderly woman in her room. Benjamin Alex Dinarte, 32, was arrested on Friday, June 20, and charged with rape, abduction, object sexual penetration, and burglary, according to the Prince William County Police Department. The disturbing attack happened just before 7 a.m. at The Fairmont by Barclay House, located on Fairmont Avenue in Manassas. Police said Dinarte entered the building through an unsecured rear door, then walked into the private room of an 85-year-old resident.  …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Capitol Heights Woman Killed In Head-On Crash In Fort Washington Identified By Police Capitol Heights Woman Killed In Head-On Crash In Fort Washington Identified By Police
Capitol Heights Woman Killed In Head-On Crash In Fort Washington Identified By Police A 42-year-old woman from Capitol Heights was killed in a violent head-on crash that shut down a busy stretch of road in Prince George’s County, authorities announced. Officers from the Prince George’s County Police Department were called to the 8400 block of Allentown Road in Fort Washington around 6:15 p.m. on Friday, June 20, for a report of a two-car crash. When they arrived, they found one of the drivers—Sirlena Moore—dead at the scene, police said. Investigators believe Moore was driving southbound on Allentown Road when, “for reasons currently under investigation, her vehicle crossed…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Joppa Teen Dies Suddenly Weeks Before Birthday: 'She Touched So Many' Joppa Teen Dies Suddenly Weeks Before Birthday: 'She Touched So Many'
Joppa Teen Dies Suddenly Weeks Before Birthday: 'She Touched So Many' A bright and loving Maryland teen who lit up every room is being remembered by those closest to her after her unexpected death at just 16 years old. Lily Grace Elwood, of Joppa, died on Monday, June 9, just weeks shy of her 17th birthday. Elwood was described as a kind, generous, and joyful soul by her family and friends, who say she touched countless lives in her short time.  Lily Elwood GoFundMe She was the beloved daughter of Christopher Robert Elwood and Tracey Lee Elwood, devoted sister to Karleigh, and cherished by her boyfriend, Jaden Riley, as well as a wide circle…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Man Dies Days After Wheaton Motorcycle Crash That Left Him Critically Injured, Family Says Man Dies Days After Wheaton Motorcycle Crash That Left Him Critically Injured, Family Says
Man Dies Days After Wheaton Motorcycle Crash That Left Him Critically Injured, Family Says A Maryland man who suffered catastrophic injuries in a rush-hour motorcycle crash earlier this month has died, leaving behind a heartbroken family and a community rallying to help. Vincent James Rizzo, 35, died on June 20, 2025, ten days after a violent crash at the intersection of Viers Mill Road and Newport Mill Road in Wheaton, according to family members and officials. The crash happened around 8 a.m. on June 10, when Rizzo's motorcycle collided with an SUV in the middle of the intersection.  The scene of the crash involving a motorcyclist in Silver Spring. Twitter/@DavidP…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Towson Motorcyclist Killed In High-Speed Crash On I-695 In Maryland, Police Say Towson Motorcyclist Killed In High-Speed Crash On I-695 In Maryland, Police Say
Towson Motorcyclist Killed In High-Speed Crash On I-695 In Maryland, Police Say A Towson man was killed in a violent motorcycle crash on I-695 in Baltimore County, Maryland State Police said. Jamahl Sutton, 37, died at the scene after his motorcycle slammed into a trailer and then hit a parked vehicle on the shoulder, investigators confirmed Monday, June 23. The crash was reported shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, June 22, on the inner loop of I-695 at Perring Parkway.  Troopers from the Maryland State Police Golden Ring Barrack responded after receiving calls about a motorcycle crash. Police said Sutton was riding at a high rate of speed and tried to pass a Dodge Ra…

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by Zak Failla
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