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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

Traffic
Multi-Vehicle Crash Shuts Down Stretch Of I-66 In Fairfax County Multi-Vehicle Crash Shuts Down Stretch Of I-66 In Fairfax County
Multi-Vehicle Crash Shuts Down Stretch Of I-66 In Fairfax County A stretch of I-66 was temporarily shut down on Friday morning in Fairfax County following a crash involving multiple vehicles that left at least one person with injuries, state police confirmed. The westbound express lanes on the interstate were closed as of 11 a.m. on Aug. 23 as crews cleared the area following a reported crash and vehicle fire, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. A Virginia State Police spokesperson said the initial call came in at 7:51 a.m. at the interchange with I-495. One injury was initially reported. #DunnLoring: 66 WB before 495: All WB gene…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet owners are being advised to keep their animals away from parts of the Potomac River after potentially deadly algae mats were detected.  A new alert was issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources cautioning that the algae - which was collected from Williamsport to Riley Lock - could be harmful to animals if ingested. This week, a second advisory was issued for the Cumberland area. According to officials, "the algae has the appearance of mats of fine, green cotton and can be found along the shoreline, attached to rocks or plants, on the bottom or floating downstream…

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by Zak Failla
News
Breaking Bad: Employee Used Government Computer To Research Ricin In Vienna, Feds Say Breaking Bad: Employee Used Government Computer To Research Ricin In Vienna, Feds Say
Breaking Bad: Employee Used Government Computer To Research Ricin In Vienna, Feds Say A Virginia man is facing prison time after storing a sample of an illegal poison in his Fairfax County home, federal authorities announced. Vienna resident Russell Richardson Vane IV, 42, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possession of ricin by an unregistered person following his experiments into extracting the poisonous toxin from certain beans.  According to court documents, in December 2022, Vane conducted a number of searches on his federal government workplace computer for instructions on how to isolate ricin toxin from castor beans. He later was able to obtain the beans and&n…

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by Zak Failla
News
New Alert Issued Regarding Teen Missing From Sterling For Months New Alert Issued Regarding Teen Missing From Sterling For Months
New Alert Issued Regarding Teen Missing From Sterling For Months A new alert has been issued with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office as they attempt to locate a missing runaway who has not been seen in months. Investigators say they are seeking the public's assistance in tracking down Lacy (Leisi) Tatiana Mejia Lozano, who moved to the country late last year before being relocated to Sterling for approximately two weeks and running away. According to the sheriff's office, Mejia Lozano may have traveled to Louisiana with an unknown boyfriend. She was last seen in the 1000 block of Temple Court in Sterling on Nov. 14, 2023.  Mejia Lozano w…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Peeping Tom Caught By Minor At Hagerstown Target Location Busted With Child Porn: Sheriff Peeping Tom Caught By Minor At Hagerstown Target Location Busted With Child Porn: Sheriff
Peeping Tom Caught By Minor At Hagerstown Target Location Busted With Child Porn: Sheriff A Peeping Tom who was caught holding a phone under the door at a changing room in Washington County was also busted with child pornography, according to the sheriff's office. In June, the sheriff's office was advised about a suspicious suspect who targeted an underage girl who was trying on clothing at Target on Cole Road in Hagerstown. According to investigators, the minor spotted a black cellphone being held under the door by an unknown man who was later identified as 48-year-old Hancock resident Terry Lee Smith. During the investigation, a search and seizure warrant was served at S…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Accused Of Murdering Grandmother, Granddaughter In Middle River: Police Man Accused Of Murdering Grandmother, Granddaughter In Middle River: Police
Man Accused Of Murdering Grandmother, Granddaughter In Middle River: Police A man has been arrested weeks after a woman and her granddaughter were killed in Baltimore County. Bryan Cherry, 36, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the deaths of Iona Sellers, 75, and Autumn Harvey, 29, in Middle River last month, authorities announced on Thursday. The two were found by police with traumatic injuries shortly before 10 a.m. on July 7 in the unit block of Taos Circle during a welfare check. Cherry was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center. Want breaking news in the DMV as it …

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Football Player Who Died During Medical Emergency At Maryland HS Remembered As Gentle Giant Football Player Who Died During Medical Emergency At Maryland HS Remembered As Gentle Giant
Football Player Who Died During Medical Emergency At Maryland HS Remembered As Gentle Giant The death of a 16-year-old in Baltimore has left a hole in the hearts of his friends and family as big as the holes he opened up for his team on the football field. During a summer practice on Wednesday, Aug. 14, first responders were called to Franklin High School in Reisterstown, when Leslie Noble suffered a medical emergency.  He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, leaving his loved ones reeling. "Leslie was known for his outgoing personality and his talents on and off the football field," Tekeiska Perry said.  "His infectious laughter, his unw…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Walkersville Predator Preying On Maryland Teens While Out On Bail Facing Life In Prison: Feds Walkersville Predator Preying On Maryland Teens While Out On Bail Facing Life In Prison: Feds
Walkersville Predator Preying On Maryland Teens While Out On Bail Facing Life In Prison: Feds A Maryland man who used multiple phones and online apps to target teens - including while he was out on bail and charges were pending - admitted to coercing and enticing minors, federal authorities announced. Michael Vance Culpepper, 56, of Walkersville, is facing life in prison after being busted by an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl online, then doubling down. According to his guilty plea, in April and May 2023, Culpepper used mobile phones and online applications to persuade, induce, entice and coerce two victims whom he believed to be 13- and 14-year-old to engage in sex…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Retired US Army Sergeant In Virginia Wins $958K Lottery Jackpot After 21 Years Of Service Retired US Army Sergeant In Virginia Wins $958K Lottery Jackpot After 21 Years Of Service
Retired US Army Sergeant In Virginia Wins $958K Lottery Jackpot After 21 Years Of Service A veteran who served in the Army for more than two decades can retire a little easier after winning a near million dollar Virginia Lottery jackpot. When Chester resident Christopher Leydic - also a veteran lotto player - saw that the Cash 5 with EZ Match game reverted to it's $200,000 starting point, he says he thought to himself "oh, somebody won it" over the weekend. Days later, he realized that he, in fact, was the one who won the $958,740 jackpot on the Saturday, Aug. 17 drawing to reset that jackpot. All from a ticket that was purchased online. “It was unbelievable!” Leydic told…

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by Zak Failla
News
Teen Driver From Stafford Killed In Virginia Crash Identified By Police Teen Driver From Stafford Killed In Virginia Crash Identified By Police
Teen Driver From Stafford Killed In Virginia Crash Identified By Police Speed is believed to be a possible factor in a crash that claimed the life of an 18-year-old driver in Virginia earlier this week, investigators say. Stafford resident Landon Lynn has been identified by the sheriff's office as the driver who was killed in an early morning crash on Wednesday. According to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the 600 block of Poplar Road to investigate a single-vehicle rollover crash when a driver struck a tree. Upon arrival, they found the vehicle occupied by Lynn, the driver, and three others who were taken to area hospitals for tr…

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by Zak Failla
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