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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 Man Busted Breaking Into Bethesda Homes By Cell Phone Motion Center: Police Virginia Man Busted Breaking Into Bethesda Homes By Cell Phone Motion Center: Police
Virginia Man Busted Breaking Into Bethesda Homes By Cell Phone Motion Center: Police A Virginia man who crossed over state lines to burglarize at least two Maryland homes in the middle of the day has been apprehended, authorities announced. Manassas native Gregory Jerome Stamps, 65, is facing charges in Montgomery County after being flagged by a Bethesda homeowner who caught him on camera red-handed breaking into an area home. According to a spokesperson from the Montgomery County Department of Police, Stamps was arrested in connection to at least two residential burglaries that were reported earlier this months in the 6000 block of Brookes Lane in Bethesda. Investigators …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Charged With DUI Manslaughter For Fatal Head-On Crash In Woodbridge, Police Say Woman Charged With DUI Manslaughter For Fatal Head-On Crash In Woodbridge, Police Say
Woman Charged With DUI Manslaughter For Fatal Head-On Crash In Woodbridge, Police Say Weeks after a wrong-way driver killed a man and injured several others in a head-on crash in Prince William County, police say that they've arrested a 21-year-old woman who was allegedly driving under the influence. Shortly after 6 a.m. on Sept. 13, officers were called to the area of Caton Hill Road near Killarney Drive in Woodbridge, where there was a reported head-on crash involving a pair of Toyotas.  According to the Prince William County Police Department, a Toyota Camry being driven by Springfield resident Lesly Miraya-Mayuri with Alexandria native Elvis Gabriel Alvarez, 23 in t…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Two $1M 'Mega Millions' Tickets Sold To VA Lottery Players At Area Gas Station, Grocery Store Two $1M 'Mega Millions' Tickets Sold To VA Lottery Players At Area Gas Station, Grocery Store
Two $1M 'Mega Millions' Tickets Sold To VA Lottery Players At Area Gas Station, Grocery Store Two lucky Lottery players in Virginia may have a million-dollar hole burning in their pockets and may not even know it after cashing in big playing Mega Millions tickets. Tickets worth a seven-figure prize were sold for Tuesday's drawing from the Beulah BP Mart in Chesterfield and Kroger in the 9300 block of Atlee Road in Mechanicsville, though they have yet to be claimed. The winning numbers for the drawing on Tuesday, Sept. 24 were: 01-06-10-23-27 with a Mega Ball of 18. Now, the million-dollar question is, who has the golden tickets, which each came within one number, the Mega …

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Teens Charged As Adults For Summertime St. Mary's County Shooting, Sheriff Says Two Teens Charged As Adults For Summertime St. Mary's County Shooting, Sheriff Says
Two Teens Charged As Adults For Summertime St. Mary's County Shooting, Sheriff Says Two young men are facing multiple attempted murder charges following a summer shooting that was reported in St. Mary's County. Zemar David Tyshon Batts, 19, and a 15-year-old teen have been identified and charged in connection to a July shooting into a vehicle and Lexington Park home, according to the sheriff's office. On Saturday July 6, deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were called to investigate reports of shots fired in the 21000 block of Pacific Drive near Columbus Drive. Witnesses at the time said that they saw people in two vehicles in the area, with one occupant …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Killed By BF Days After MoCo Reunion Was 'Dreamer Studying To Reach Goals' In US Teen Killed By BF Days After MoCo Reunion Was 'Dreamer Studying To Reach Goals' In US
Teen Killed By BF Days After MoCo Reunion Was 'Dreamer Studying To Reach Goals' In US Dania Carolina Cruz Mejía came to the US searching for a better life five months ago, only to see those dreams dashed when the 18-year-old was allegedly killed by her boyfriend in Maryland. Earlier this year, the El Salvador native made the move to the country, where she reunited with longtime boyfriend Gerber Luis Sanchez Centeno, 22, who has since been accused of her murder in Montgomery Village. According to Cruz Mejía's family, she had spend the last couple years with Sanchez Centeno, who decided to reunite in Maryland, leading to her death. "(Ten) days after reuniting with D…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Fire Tears Through Vacant Silver Spring Elementary School Under Construction Fire Tears Through Vacant Silver Spring Elementary School Under Construction
Fire Tears Through Vacant Silver Spring Elementary School Under Construction Retirement had to wait for a veteran fire chief who was was active in suppressing a massive blaze that broke out overnight in Montgomery County. A massive two-alarm fire erupted at a vacant Maryland elementary school scheduled to be demolished later this year and replaced with a new building. Crews in Montgomery County were on hand for hours at JoAnn Leleck Elementary School in Silver Spring overnight, when a massive fire broke out and tore through the school. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO The fire was initially reported at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. At the time, the school was un…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Iverson Mall Evacuated Due To Suspicious Package; Roads Closed In Area (DEVELOPING) Iverson Mall Evacuated Due To Suspicious Package; Roads Closed In Area (DEVELOPING)
Iverson Mall Evacuated Due To Suspicious Package; Roads Closed In Area (Developing) The Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights was evacuated on Wednesday morning as police investigated a reported suspicious package, officials say. Before 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 25, officers and members of the Prince George's County Fire Department's Bomb Team were called to the mall in the 3700 block of Branch Avenue, leading to road closure and a massive police presence in the area. Please see the message below from @PGFDNews These specific roads are affected:-Branch Ave & Iverson St-Iverson St & 28th Ave https://t.co/WZeLIqPpsP pic.twitter.com/2ZaqMtUqGF — PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) September…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Argument Ends With 77-Year-Old Man Stabbing At Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center: Police Argument Ends With 77-Year-Old Man Stabbing At Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center: Police
Argument Ends With 77-Year-Old Man Stabbing At Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center: Police Recognize him?  The Montgomery County Department of Police is seeking the public's assistance as they attempt to identify and locate a man wanted for stabbing a senior man in the forehead. An alert was issued by investigators are they continue to investigate a stabbing in late August that was reported in the entrance of the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in the 7900 block of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. The incident was reported at around 2:20 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, when the suspect got into an argument with a 77-year-old man over property, which escalated and came to…

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by Zak Failla
News
Police ID Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Charles County Crash With Mustang: Sheriff Police ID Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Charles County Crash With Mustang: Sheriff
Police ID Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Charles County Crash With Mustang: Sheriff A 16-year-old from Waldorf has been identified by investigators as the motorcyclist killed in a crash with a Ford Mustang over the weekend in Charles County. Jesel Edolen Rodriguez Amaya was riding a 2003 Suzuki GSXR 600 motorcycle shortly after midnight on Sunday morning when he was involved in a crash in his hometown in the 2400 block of Old Washington Road. Investigators say that Rodriguez Amaya was heading south on Old Washington Road when he struck the Mustang, which was also traveling in the same direction.  Rodriguez Amaya was pronounced dead at the scene by first responde…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Volunteer Firefighter Jeff Garner Of La Plata Dies, 61: 'Invaluable Leader' Volunteer Firefighter Jeff Garner Of La Plata Dies, 61: 'Invaluable Leader'
Volunteer Firefighter Jeff Garner Of La Plata Dies, 61: 'Invaluable Leader' A popular Charles County community member is being remembered for his work ethic and a lifetime of service to his neighbors following his death. Flags across the county will be flown at half-mast to honor Jeff Garner, 61, a longtime member of the Charles County Volunteer Fire and EMS agency who spent nearly 40 decades as a popular civil servant in his hometown of La Plata. "Jeff dedicated his life to serving our town, beginning in an entry-level role and working his way up to become an invaluable leader in the Public Works Department," the town posted in a tribute on Facebook. "But Jeff wa…

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by Zak Failla
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