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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
COVID-19: Mask Mandate Back In Effect In NY After Appeals Court Judge's Ruling COVID-19: Mask Mandate Back In Effect In NY After Appeals Court Judge's Ruling
Covid-19: Mask Mandate Back In Effect In NY After Appeals Court Judge's Ruling A New York Appellate Judge granted a stay in the state’s lawsuit over its COVID-19 indoor mask mandate late Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 25, putting it back in place, including schools, much to the chagrin of some parents. A day earlier, in Nassau County Justice Thomas Rademaker ruled that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office had overstepped its authority with its December mask mandate that was issued through then-acting Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett. However, the state quickly appealed the decision, and on Tuesday, the mandate was put back in place. Earlier story - COVID-19: Uncertainty …

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by Zak Failla
News
School In Northern Westchester Placed On Lockout Due To Police Activity School In Northern Westchester Placed On Lockout Due To Police Activity
School In Northern Westchester Placed On Lockout Due To Police Activity A Northern Westchester school was temporarily placed in a lockout due to a police investigation, officials said. In Yorktown, the George Washington Elementary School in the Lakeland Central School District, entered its lockout early in the day on Tuesday, Jan 25 due to state police activity hundreds of yards away from the building. According to reports, there was extensive police activity at an area condominium complex, though the nature of the investigation has not been disclosed. School officials made note that there was no active threat to the school and the lockout was out of an abund…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Barricaded Person In Custody In CT, School Lockdown Lifted Barricaded Person In Custody In CT, School Lockdown Lifted
Barricaded Person In Custody In CT, School Lockdown Lifted One is in custody after barricading himself inside the garage of a Connecticut home after being involved in a domestic incident, police said. In New Haven County, the East Haven Police Department issued a “shelter in place” order at approximately 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25, while the Momauguin School was placed into a lockdown as a precaution. Earlier story - School In CT Temporarily Locked Down During Police Negotiation Police said that the incident began when the East Haven Public Safety Dispatch Center received an emergency call regarding a domestic incident on Stevens Street that invol…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: 'Stealth Omicron,' A New Version Of Variant, Identified In US COVID-19: 'Stealth Omicron,' A New Version Of Variant, Identified In US
Covid-19: 'Stealth Omicron,' A New Version Of Variant, Identified In US A new sub-variant of the dominant COVID-19 Omicron strain could be on the rise, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The new strain, dubbed the “stealth” Omicron variant because it’s difficult to identify due to a lack of certain genetic characteristics, appears to be on the rise, with confirmed cases of the virus in at least 40 countries, including the United States. According to the WHO, Omicron, which is known as B.1.1.529, has three sub-variants: the original BA.1 that remains the dominant strain, the “stealth” BA.2, which is picking up steam, and the more elusive BA.3. Re…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
School In CT Temporarily Locked Down During Police Negotiation School In CT Temporarily Locked Down During Police Negotiation
School In CT Temporarily Locked Down During Police Negotiation A school in Connecticut was temporarily placed in lockdown while police negotiated with a barricaded person. In New Haven County, the Momauguin Elementary School was locked down as a precaution and police advised the public to stay away from Stevens Street between Austin Avenue and Soundview Avenue on Tuesday, Jan. 25. It is unclear why officers were negotiating with the barricaded person, including the South Central Regional SWAT team, which was activated, according to police. A “shelter in place order” was also extended to include North Atwater, Henry Street, and George Street. More in…

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by Zak Failla
News
Nassau County MS-13 Member Known As 'Shadow' Sentenced For Role In Four Homicides Nassau County MS-13 Member Known As 'Shadow' Sentenced For Role In Four Homicides
Nassau County MS-13 Member Known As 'Shadow' Sentenced For Role In Four Homicides A 23-year-old street gang member on Long Island may spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced for his role in four separate homicides of perceived enemies of MS-13. Raul Ponce, of Hempstead, also known as “Shadow,” pleaded guilty last fall to two counts of murder in the deaths of Bryan Steven Cho Lemus and Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzales; and two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of Nelson Rodriguez and Osmin Campos-Sandoval, the Nassau County DA announced. On Tuesday, Jan. 25, a judge sentenced Ponce to a term of 32 years to life in prison. According to prosecutors,…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate COVID-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate
Covid-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate A Supreme Court justice on Long Island struck down the statewide mask mandate in New York, causing mass confusion and prompting a fight from Gov. Kathy Hochul and her administration. In Nassau County, Justice Thomas Rademaker ruled that Hochul’s office had overstepped its authority with its December mask mandate that was issued through then-acting Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett. Instead, the judge said that it was not up to the Department of Health to approve the mandate, it instead should go through the Legislature, where it is potentially less likely to pass. Rademaker said that the…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former HS Teacher In Westchester Charged For Sharing Illicit Photos, Conversations WIth Minor Former HS Teacher In Westchester Charged For Sharing Illicit Photos, Conversations WIth Minor
Former HS Teacher In Westchester Charged For Sharing Illicit Photos, Conversations WIth Minor A former high school teacher in the Hudson Valley is facing charges for allegedly sharing illicit photos and conversations with a teenager over social media, the district attorney’s office announced. On Monday, Jan. 24, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced that former Salesian High School teacher Mariela Barajas, age 22, of Mount Vernon, was arraigned for allegedly disseminating indecent material to a 15-year-old.  Specifically, Barajas was charged in Mount Vernon City Court with one count of disseminating indecent material to minors, a felony, following …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Hospitalizations Below 1,500 In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases, Deaths, By County COVID-19: Hospitalizations Below 1,500 In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases, Deaths, By County
Covid-19: Hospitalizations Below 1,500 In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases, Deaths, By County The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in Connecticut hospitals has dipped below 1,500 as the state continues to see a strong recovery following a post-holiday surge of new infections over the past month and a half. In the latest update from the State Department of Public Health on Monday, Jan. 24, there were 106,153 COVID-19 tests administered over the weekend, resulting in 12,057 laboratory-confirmed cases for an 11.36 percent daily positive infection rate, continuing a trend of declining numbers. After plateauing near 25 percent for several days earlier this month, the daily p…

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by Zak Failla
News
Alert Issued For Missing Man In Westchester Alert Issued For Missing Man In Westchester
Alert Issued For Missing Man In Westchester Seen him? An alert was issued by police in Westchester as they attempt to locate a missing 58-year-old man who reportedly suffers from schizophrenia. In Yonkers, police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Joseph Kobloth, who has been reported missing by friends and family after last being seen on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Kobloth was described as being approximately 5-foot-11 weighing 150 pounds. He was last seen in the area of Kathy Lane wearing a bubble jacket and black sneakers. Police noted that Kobloth is a schizophrenic in their alert.  Anyone with information re…

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by Zak Failla
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