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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

News
COVID-19: Long Island School Temporarily Closes Due To Staffing Shortages Linked To Virus COVID-19: Long Island School Temporarily Closes Due To Staffing Shortages Linked To Virus
Covid-19: Long Island School Temporarily Closes Due To Staffing Shortages Linked To Virus The latest surge of new COVID-19 infections continues to impact schools and colleges on Long Island. In Nassau County, the Clara H. Carlson School in Elmont was forced to shutter its doors for several days due to a staffing shortage that was died to an outbreak of the virus. Schools Superintendent Kenneth Rosner announced that due to the shortage, the school building was closed beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 15 through Friday, Dec. 17, with students transitioning to their remote learning model temporarily. In the past two weeks, there have been seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Clara…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Omicron Cases, Deaths Confirmed In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases COVID-19: New Omicron Cases, Deaths Confirmed In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases
Covid-19: New Omicron Cases, Deaths Confirmed In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases Nearly five dozen new COVID-19 fatalities were reported in the past week in Connecticut, eclipsing the 9,000 death marks across the state, which is dealing with new cases of the Omicron variant. In the past week, Connecticut hospitals recorded 56 new virus-related deaths, bringing the total as of Thursday, Dec. 16 to 9,002 statewide since the pandemic began in March 2020. On Wednesday, Dec. 15, there were 29,187 COVID-19 tests administered in Connecticut, resulting in 2,085 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus for a 7.14 percent daily positive infection rate, down slightly from the previ…

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by Zak Failla
News
Long Island Pet Store Sued By NY AG For Selling Sick Puppies To Customers Long Island Pet Store Sued By NY AG For Selling Sick Puppies To Customers
Long Island Pet Store Sued By NY AG For Selling Sick Puppies To Customers New York Attorney General Letitia James is pulling no punches in going after a Long Island pet shop that allegedly unlawfully and deceptively sold sick puppies to customers. James announced that she has filed a lawsuit against pet store Shake A Paw for unlawfully selling multiple sick or injured dogs at its Long Island locations in Hicksville and Lynbrook, both in Nassau County. According to investigators, Shake A Paw: Falsely advertised sick pets as healthy; Fabricated health certificates; Failed to disclose the animals’ legitimate medical conditions; Misrepresented puppies’ breeds; Re…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Long Island Infection Rate Climbs Past 7.5 Percent With New Increase In Cases COVID-19: Long Island Infection Rate Climbs Past 7.5 Percent With New Increase In Cases
Covid-19: Long Island Infection Rate Climbs Past 7.5 Percent With New Increase In Cases More than 3,500 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on Long Island, which saw its positive infection rate spike above 7.5 percent in the latest update from the state Department of Health. According to health officials, Long Island's seven-day average percentage of positive test results rose from 6.77 percent on Monday, Dec. 13, up to 7.12 percent the following day, rising to 7.53 percent of those tested on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Statewide, the infection rate statewide also rose, up above 5 percent to 5.11 percent according to the latest update. Each of the state's 10 regions now have…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Hudson Valley Infection Rate Climbs Past 5 Percent With New Increase In Cases COVID-19: Hudson Valley Infection Rate Climbs Past 5 Percent With New Increase In Cases
Covid-19: Hudson Valley Infection Rate Climbs Past 5 Percent With New Increase In Cases The Hudson Valley continues to see its COVID-19 numbers trending in the wrong direction, as the positive infection rate spiked above 5 percent for the first time in months. According to health officials, the Hudson Valley's seven-day average percentage of positive test results rose from 4.59 percent on Monday, Dec. 13, up to 4.65 percent the following day, rising to 5.02 percent of those tested on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Statewide, the infection rate statewide also rose, up above 5 percent to 5.11 percent according to the latest update. Each of the state's 10 regions now have positive infectio…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Westchester County, Local Police Caution Of School Threats Made On TikTok Westchester County, Local Police Caution Of School Threats Made On TikTok
Westchester County, Local Police Caution Of School Threats Made On TikTok County and local police in Westchester are on high alert after there were multiple discussions about potential school shootings or bomb threats made on social media. An alert was issued by Westchester County Police Department after it received a tip from its School Resource Officer Program about purported threats made on TikTok regarding a potential incident on Friday, Dec. 17. Similar threats have been reported elsewhere in the region, including in Connecticut. Investigators noted that the posts were general in nature, did not target any individual school or location, and the threat level…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: High School In Area Goes Remote Amid Rise In Cases COVID-19: High School In Area Goes Remote Amid Rise In Cases
Covid-19: High School In Area Goes Remote Amid Rise In Cases A Hudson Valley high school will be transitioning to its distance learning model for the rest of the year due to an unsettling rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases among students and staff. In Putnam County, district officials in Carmel announced that they would be closing the high school through the rest of the year, with the intention to reopen to in-person learning when Winter Break is over on Monday, Jan. 3. Classes were originally slated to be held in person through Thursday, Dec. 23. The holiday break for students will still take place Friday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 31, as sche…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CDC Panel Recommends Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines Over Johnson & Johnson Jab COVID-19: CDC Panel Recommends Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines Over Johnson & Johnson Jab
Covid-19: CDC Panel Recommends Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines Over Johnson & Johnson Jab The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance saying that people shouldn’t get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot if the Pfizer or Moderna option is available. Citing potentially life-threatening blood clots liked to the J & J jab, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on Thursday, Dec. 16 following an update from the Food and Drug Administration. Federal officials halted the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier this year for 10 days in April after six women experienced the blood-clotting problem — the only…

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by Zak Failla
News
Meryl Streeps' Nephew Fined For Hamptons Road-Rage Incident Meryl Streeps' Nephew Fined For Hamptons Road-Rage Incident
Meryl Streeps' Nephew Fined For Hamptons Road-Rage Incident The nephew of three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep will avoid any time behind bars after being caught on camera assaulting a teenager outside a New York bank during an incident of road rage last summer. Connecticut native Charles Harrison Streep, age 32, assaulted the then-18-year-old victim, David Peralta, on Long Island in the parking lot of a Chase Bank on Main Street in East Hampton in August 2020, leaving the teen hospitalized with “serious head trauma" after the altercation, according to his lawyers. Original story - Meryl Streep's Nephew Charged In Hamptons Road-Rage Incident This w…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
CT Woman Wins $100K In Lottery CT Woman Wins $100K In Lottery
CT Woman Wins $100K In Lottery A winning $100,000 CT Lottery scratch-off ticket sold at a Connecticut convenience store has been cashed in by one lucky player. On Wednesday, Dec. 15, New Haven County resident Vanessa Christopher, of Ansonia, cashed in a winning $100,000 "Winter Ice Multiplier" scratch-off ticket that was sold at the Branford Quick Mart on East Main Street. Later that day, two other CT Lottery players cashed in tickets worth more than $40,000.  In Hartford County, Southington resident Gerald Dandrow cashed in a "PLAY4 NIGHT" ticket worth $40,416 that was sold at the Southington Mobil Station on Quee…

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by Zak Failla
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