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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
Maryland School Closings: These Districts Have Announced Plans For Friday's Storm Maryland School Closings: These Districts Have Announced Plans For Friday's Storm
Maryland School Closings: These Districts Have Announced Plans For Friday's Storm With several inches of snow expected to coat the area, some schools in Maryland are already making preparations to ensure the safety of students and staff. The worst of the snow is expected to hit the area beginning at around 6 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, and lasting throughout the day, prompting schools to begin announcing closures and delays on Thursday night. As of 8 p.m. on Thursday, these public schools have announced their plans - which are subject to change depending on the weather conditions:  Anne Arundel County Schools: Previously planned off-day, decision on athletics and ex…

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by Zak Failla
Weather
Incoming Storm To Bring Several Inches Of Snow To Parts Of DMV Region: Forecasters Incoming Storm To Bring Several Inches Of Snow To Parts Of DMV Region: Forecasters
Incoming Storm To Bring Several Inches Of Snow To Parts Of DMV Region: Forecasters The DMV region is bracing for another round of wintry weather that could blanket the area with snow as storms roll in.  Winter weather advisories have been issued throughout the area, beginning at around 4 a.m. through 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, as several inches of snow are expected to accumulate in some areas, with upwards of four inches in some DC suburbs. Winter Weather Advisories have been expanded across southern MD & central VA. Snow amounts range from a 0.5-2" in these locations with 2-5" along & north of I-66/US-50. Snow moves in from the west between 1-5am & wr…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DUI Driver Surrenders At Police HQ Nearly Year After Fatal Hit-Run In Maryland, Officials Say DUI Driver Surrenders At Police HQ Nearly Year After Fatal Hit-Run In Maryland, Officials Say
DUI Driver Surrenders At Police HQ Nearly Year After Fatal Hit-Run In Maryland, Officials Say Nearly a year after a fatal hit-and-run crash in Anne Arundel County, the driver has turned himself in, police say. Annapolis resident John Kaii-Ziegler, 64, surrendered to police months after he was identified as a suspect in connection to the death of 73-year-old Zarko Paruza in January 2023. Shortly after 10 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2023 to the unit block of Hilltop Lane, where Paruza had been riding his bike when he was struck and killed by a driver who sped away from the area after hitting him. Witnesses helped investigators from the Anne Arundel County Police Department by identifying a susp…

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by Zak Failla
News
Top Prosecutor 'Baffled' By Sentence For Man Convicted Of Killing Morgan State University Guard Top Prosecutor 'Baffled' By Sentence For Man Convicted Of Killing Morgan State University Guard
Top Prosecutor 'Baffled' By Sentence For Man Convicted Of Killing Morgan State University Guard The Maryland man convicted of killing a security guard working around off-campus Morgan State University apartments has been sentenced to decades in prison, the Baltimore City State's Attorney announced on Thursday. Chase Wilson, 22, was sentenced to 40 years in prison with all but 25 years suspended in connection to the the fatal shooting of Julian Fruh in the 4400 block of Marble Hall Road in August 2022 On Aug. 31, 2022, campus police alerted Baltimore City officers about a shooting near campus involving a man - later identified as Fruh - who was shot in the head after reportedly getting…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Decision To Evacuate DC Day Care Before Explosion Saved Lives, Fire Officials Say Decision To Evacuate DC Day Care Before Explosion Saved Lives, Fire Officials Say
Decision To Evacuate DC Day Care Before Explosion Saved Lives, Fire Officials Say Cleanup efforts are underway and first responders are being hailed as heroes after a pair of gas-fed explosions rocked a Southeast DC neighborhood on Thursday. A convenience store next to a day care center was destroyed on Jan. 18 when a gas leak led to a tricky fire in the 1200 block of Marion Barry Avenue SE, prompting a lengthy battle that took hours to get under control. Video from the dash-cam of the first engine on scene captures the moment when the second of two explosions takes place at a convenience store on Marion Barry Ave SE minutes after the initial daycare explosion #DCsBra…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Multi-Vehicle Crash Causes Delays For Commuters On I-495 In Maryland Multi-Vehicle Crash Causes Delays For Commuters On I-495 In Maryland
Multi-Vehicle Crash Causes Delays For Commuters On I-495 In Maryland Thursday's evening commute was a sluggish one for some travelers on I-495 in Montgomery County as crews cleared a multi-vehicle crash near the American Legion Bridge. First responders were called at around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, to the Outer Loop of I-495, where there was a five-vehicle crash that resulted in several lanes being closed and rubbernecking from motorists heading in the opposite direction. Traffic incident closes three left lanes of Outer Loop I-495 at the American Legion Bridge. Expect significant delays. Seek alternate route. #MdTraffic pic.twitter.com/eDCyd7VGCS — Montgome…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Carjacker Escapes By Train After Targeting Person At Maryland Gas Station, Police Say Carjacker Escapes By Train After Targeting Person At Maryland Gas Station, Police Say
Carjacker Escapes By Train After Targeting Person At Maryland Gas Station, Police Say One carjacker was taken into custody and a second was able to escape after going after a patron at an Anne Arundel County gas station, according to police. Laketa Terrell Johnson, 44, who has no fixed address, is facing charges following a skirmish that played out at Exxon in Linthicum, though his cohort was able to escape from responding officers. At around 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department were called to the gas station on Camp Mead Road South, where there was a reported fight that had just taken place. According to police, Johnson a…

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by Zak Failla
News
Snow Plow Driver Found Shot Near Howard County School Dies At Hospital, Police Say Snow Plow Driver Found Shot Near Howard County School Dies At Hospital, Police Say
Snow Plow Driver Found Shot Near Howard County School Dies At Hospital, Police Say The snow plow driver who was found shot while clearing the parking lot of a Howard County school has died from his injuries, according to police. Gwynn Oak resident Alex Ramirez Garcia, 37, died overnight at the hospital from injuries he sustained on Wednesday morning while he was working a a private snow plow driver. According to police, Ramirez Garcia was clearing the parking lot of a Montessori school in the 4400 block of Montgomery Road when he was shot. His body was found by a witness outside of the plow in the parking lot at around 8:45 a.m. and investigators say that they …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Thousands Of Fentanyl Pills, Five Firearms Seized During Drug Bust In Maryland: Police Thousands Of Fentanyl Pills, Five Firearms Seized During Drug Bust In Maryland: Police
Thousands Of Fentanyl Pills, Five Firearms Seized During Drug Bust In Maryland: Police Thousands of fentanyl pills are off the streets after three men from the region were busted by investigators from the Prince George's County Police Department. The lengthy Gang Unit investigation resulted in the arrest of two men from Maryland, and a third from the District, who were part of a major drug and weapon seizure, the agency announced on Thursday. Those charged:  Dream Edwards, 26, of Columbia; Romel Johnson, 22, of Laurel; Michael Jordan Thompson, 34, of Washington, DC. (left to right) Dream Edwards, Romel Johnson, Michael Jordan Thompson Prince George's County Police …

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Scooter Rider Ejected During DC Crash Dies At Hospital: MPD Scooter Rider Ejected During DC Crash Dies At Hospital: MPD
Scooter Rider Ejected During DC Crash Dies At Hospital: MPD A 55-year-old man who was a passenger on his friend's scooter when it crashed on the 14th Street Bridge in DC has died at an area hospital, the Metropolitan Police Department announced. Takoma Park resident Francisco Eduardo Santaella was riding on a motorized scooter on Wednesday, Jan. 10 with a driver in the northbound express lanes of the bridge when police say he lost control and crashed. According to investigators, Eduardo Santaella's scooter was in the express lanes (HOV side) in the left lane for Exit 1 when it failed to negotiate the right curve of the roadway and mou…

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by Zak Failla
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