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Monday, apr 28

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

Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction It's not easy being green, or delivering an epic commencement speech. But Kermit the Frog, a Peabody Award winner and best-selling author (and muppet) will do both in May, when he will return to the campus where he was first brought to life (by creator and alum Jim Henson, Class of 1960) to deliver the commencement speech in May. The school made the announcement this week, and the internet's reaction is everything you could've ever hoped for. "Kermencement," one absolute genius commented on UMD's post on Facebook. Others begged for the event to be live-streamed, while many …

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Schools

Driver Killed, Students Hurt In Crash Involving School Bus In Prince Frederick: Sheriff A box truck driver was killed and two students were hospitalized after a crash involving a school bus in Prince Frederick on Wednesday morning, officials said. Deputies with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after 9 a.m. on March 26 to the area of Route 231 near Sea Gull Beach Road for a serious crash involving a school bus carrying 12 students and a box truck. According to the sheriff’s office, the bus driver and ten students were unharmed. However, two students were transported to CalvertHealth Medical Center with minor injuries. The driver of the box truck — identifi…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Police & Fire

Woman Wanted After Cutting Ankle Monitor, Vanishing In Lexington Park: Sheriff Deputies in Southern Maryland are searching for a woman who cut off her ankle monitor and disappeared days ago, authorities said Wednesday. Britny Lee Blankenship, 35, is now wanted for escape, according to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called on March 22 to the 21000 block of Liberty Street in Lexington Park after someone reported tampering with Blankenship’s ankle monitor. They found the device with a damaged band, indicating it had been cut, the sheriff’s office said. Blankenship is described as a white woman who is 5-foot-5, weighing 205 pounds, with blue…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Police & Fire

Pedestrian Hit, Run Over At Woodbridge Gas Station Dies Days Later: PWC Police A 56-year-old man who was hit and run over by a vehicle at a gas station in Woodbridge has died from his injuries, Prince William County Police confirmed. The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, at the Citgo gas station located at 1320 Old Bridge Road, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr. Investigators said the driver of a 2014 Toyota Camry was exiting the fuel pump area toward Gordon Boulevard when the vehicle struck a pedestrian who was walking near the fuel pump island. The victim then fell to the ground and was run over by the vehicle. The pedestrian,…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Police & Fire

Minors Released To Parents After ‘Mobbing’ Attack In Stafford County: Sheriff Two juveniles accused of jumping out of a car and assaulting another teen in broad daylight were released to their parents after the attack, Stafford County authorities said. Deputies with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:26 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25 to the area of Mine Road and Cathedral Drive after witnesses reported a group assault. According to investigators, multiple juveniles got out of a vehicle and began attacking a teen walking in the area. The victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” police said. De…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Police & Fire

Laurel Teen Charged As Adult After Fatal Gas Station Shooting: Police A 16-year-old in Maryland will be charged as an adult after allegedly murdering a man during an argument at a Prince George's County gas station. Leo Addison, 39, of Largo, was shot and killed around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, in the 7600 block of Marlboro Pike, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. A sergeant with the Special Operations Division’s K9 Section was in the area of Marlboro Pike and Forestville Road when he heard a gunshot, police said. Moments later, he saw the teen from Laurel fire a handgun at Addison in the gas station parking lot and try t…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Traffic

Lexington Park Driver Killed Crashing Into Concrete Barrier, Sheriff Says A 76-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in St. Mary’s County, and investigators say a medical emergency may have been to blame. Deputies with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were called around 1:15 p.m. on March 25 to the 44000 block of St. Andrews Church Road near Pops Way in California, Maryland, for a reported crash involving a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. First responders found the driver, Calvin Coolidge Edwards Jr., of Lexington Park, unresponsive and not breathing, the sheriff’s office said. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the s…

by Zak Failla

03/26/2025

Lifestyle

Secret Virginia Singer's 'American Idol' Audition Is Major Tearjerker (Watch) She had never performed in front of a crowd. She didn’t think she was good enough. Then she opened her mouth — and made it all the way to Hollywood. Nina Daig, 25, of Beaverdam in Virginia, stunned the judges on American Idol after performing a heartfelt original song called “Average Joe” — a tribute to her older brother, Joey, who was born with brain damage and has been her lifelong inspiration. “Sweaty, but great,” Daig joked before stepping into the audition. “You’re the first person I’ve sung in front of,” she added, stunning the judges. Her video package introduced viewers to Joey, wh…

by Zak Failla

03/25/2025

Police & Fire

Woman Killed In Prince George’s County Police Pursuit Crash ID’d By Attorney General New details have been released after a police pursuit in Prince George’s County ended in tragedy when a fleeing driver slammed into a mother and her son in Landover, killing the woman and sending the child to the hospital, officials say. It all went down just after 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21, when a Seat Pleasant Police officer tried to pull over a Genesis sedan on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The driver stopped at first—but then took off. The officer issued a BOLO for the car, and minutes later, Prince George’s County Police spott…

by Zak Failla

03/25/2025

Police & Fire

Investigation Into Sudden Death Of Former US Attorney Finds No Foul Play: Officials Police have released some findings of the investigation into the sudden death of Jessica D. Aber, the former top federal prosecutor in Virginia. The Alexandria Police Department confirmed on Tuesday, March 25, that detectives have "found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes." It was not immediately clear whether or not she suffered from any type of medical condition. Aber, 43, was found unresponsive around 9:18 a.m. Saturday, March 22, inside a home on the 900 block of Beverley Drive, police previously said. Officers were called to the…

by Zak Failla

03/25/2025

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