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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
Scooter-Riding Porch Pirate Busted In Fairfax County Days After Police Alert: Officials Scooter-Riding Porch Pirate Busted In Fairfax County Days After Police Alert: Officials
Scooter-Riding Porch Pirate Busted In Fairfax County Days After Police Alert: Officials That didn’t take long. A New York man accused of swiping packages off porches in Fairfax County has been caught — days after detectives released surveillance photos and asked the public for help, police said. Luis Sena, 25, was riding an electric scooter in Hybla Valley when a patrol supervisor spotted him around 1 p.m. on June 25, near Sherwood Hall Lane, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Officers recognized Sena from photos released earlier in the week showing a man on a scooter stealing packages in Springfield and Annandale, police said. He was stopped in the 7900 bloc…

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by Zak Failla
News
Valentine’s Day Murder Over Child Visit Leads To Life Sentence For Prince Frederick Man Valentine’s Day Murder Over Child Visit Leads To Life Sentence For Prince Frederick Man
Valentine’s Day Murder Over Child Visit Leads To Life Sentence For Prince Frederick Man A Maryland man who stabbed his girlfriend’s child’s father to death during a visitation dispute has been sentenced to life in prison. Thomas Eugene Harris II, 28, of Prince Frederick, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the 2024 murder of 30-year-old Shaquille Quadry Braxton, prosecutors in Calvert County announced Thursday. Judge Mark Chandlee handed down the life sentence on June 20, four months after Harris pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder. According to prosecutors, Braxton was on his way to deliver a Valentine’s Day gift to his child in Prince Frederick on…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
WATCH: Routine Traffic Stop Turns Into $50K Cocaine Bust in Howard County WATCH: Routine Traffic Stop Turns Into $50K Cocaine Bust in Howard County
Watch: Routine Traffic Stop Turns Into $50K Cocaine Bust in Howard County "Oh baby! Look at that!" That’s what one officer exclaimed after popping open a hidden panel during what began as a routine traffic stop in Howard County — and ended with a $50,000 cocaine bust, according to authorities. This week, the Howard County Police Department released video of members of the agency's Community Outreach and Pathways Section after they made a "BIG discovery."  That discovery? $50,000 worth of suspected cocaine stashed inside the vehicle's center console. Following a recent traffic stop, officers from our Community Outreach and Pathways Section made a BIG dis…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Dog Shot Dead With AR-15 During Neighborhood Dispute In Waldorf, Sheriff Says Dog Shot Dead With AR-15 During Neighborhood Dispute In Waldorf, Sheriff Says
Dog Shot Dead With AR-15 During Neighborhood Dispute In Waldorf, Sheriff Says A Maryland man is behind bars after he allegedly used an AR-15-style rifle to shoot and kill a dog during a neighborhood dispute in Waldorf, police said. Dejon Elijah Warren, 25, was arrested on June 20 by officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Judicial Services Section in connection with a May 18 incident on the 4500 block of Ruston Place, officials announced on Thursday. According to the sheriff’s office, Warren was arguing with a neighbor when he retrieved an AR-15-style rifle.  The other person went back inside their home. That’s when Warren allegedly turned the gun on …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Newly Minted Millionaire: Virginia Man Wins Lottery After Coffee Run At 7-Eleven Newly Minted Millionaire: Virginia Man Wins Lottery After Coffee Run At 7-Eleven
Newly Minted Millionaire: Virginia Man Wins Lottery After Coffee Run At 7-Eleven He stopped for gas and coffee — and walked out a millionaire. Gary Hensley of Charlottesville made a quick trip to the 7-Eleven on Seminole Trail for his usual cup of joe. But something else caught his eye — a Virginia Lottery Bonus Star Millions scratcher. “Something just told me to buy it!” Hensley told Lottery officials. So he did. He took the ticket home, scratched it, and just like that — he was $1 million richer. “I about had a heart attack!” he said. “I didn’t get much sleep that night!” Hensley is the first top prize winner in the new Bonus Star Millions game, which has prizes ra…

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by Zak Failla
News
Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says
Fortnite Players Getting $126M In Refunds For Unwanted Charges, FTC Says Fortnite players across the US are getting a fresh round of cash — and they didn’t even have to win a battle royale to claim it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it’s sending out more than $126 million in refunds to players who were charged for unwanted in-game purchases, as part of a settlement with Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games. The latest round of payments includes 969,173 checks and PayPal transfers issued on June 25 and 26, the FTC said this week. This stems from a 2023 settlement in which Epic agreed to pay $245 million after the FTC accused the company of using decept…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
Former Raven Justin Tucker Suspended 10 Games Amid NFL Misconduct Probe — What We Know So Far Former Raven Justin Tucker Suspended 10 Games Amid NFL Misconduct Probe — What We Know So Far
Former Raven Justin Tucker Suspended 10 Games Amid NFL Misconduct Probe — What We Know So Far Justin Tucker has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2025 NFL season as part of an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation, league officials announced. The former Ravens kicker, currently a free agent, was found in violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, according to the officials. His suspension will begin on roster cutdown day — Tuesday, Aug. 26 — and he’ll be eligible for reinstatement on Tuesday, Nov. 11. According to the NFL, Tucker is allowed to sign with a team, participate in training camp, and play in preseason games; however, he must serve the 10-week suspension …

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by Zak Failla
News
Demolition Of Maryland’s Key Bridge Is About To Begin — Here's When Demolition Of Maryland’s Key Bridge Is About To Begin — Here's When
Demolition Of Maryland’s Key Bridge Is About To Begin — Here's When The tear-down is on.  Crews will begin dismantling what’s left of the Francis Scott Key Bridge "on or about" Monday, July 7, marking a major step in Maryland’s massive rebuild project, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) officials announced Thursday, June 26. The work marks a big step in the Key Bridge Rebuild project and is expected to take several months.  Crews will begin by removing the remaining deck over the Patapsco River, followed by demolition of bridge sections over Hawkins Point and Sollers Point.  Francis Scott Key Bridge Wikimedia Commons/…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Loaded AR-15-Style Pistol, Drum Mag Found In Dumpster After St. Mary's Foot Chase: Sheriff Loaded AR-15-Style Pistol, Drum Mag Found In Dumpster After St. Mary's Foot Chase: Sheriff
Loaded AR-15-Style Pistol, Drum Mag Found In Dumpster After St. Mary's Foot Chase: Sheriff A loaded, unserialized AR-15-style pistol and a 50-round drum magazine were recovered from a dumpster and backpack after a suspect took off running from deputies in Maryland, police said. The foot chase happened around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, when detectives with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office spotted someone they believed was armed near Columbus Drive in Lexington Park, according to officials. As deputies moved in, the man bolted and was seen tossing something into a dumpster. He was stopped shortly after in the 21000 block of Liberty Street and identified as Christopher I…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Katana-Styled Sword Snatched At Gunpoint In Woodbridge Robbery: Police Katana-Styled Sword Snatched At Gunpoint In Woodbridge Robbery: Police
Katana-Styled Sword Snatched At Gunpoint In Woodbridge Robbery: Police Three suspects from Woodbridge are in custody after a man was robbed of a katana-style blade at gunpoint during a violent apartment complex encounter, according to Prince William County Police. Jaden Patrick Kofi Asante, 21, Jayla Yvette Goodridge, 22, and Jashay’e Ruban Thomas, 21, were arrested on Wednesday, June 25, after officers responded to a robbery at The Landings at Markhams Grant Apartments on the 2700 block of Haverford Loop in Woodbridge, police said. The victims — a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man — were meeting with friends when a fight broke out around 8:39 p.m., poli…

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by Zak Failla
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