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Sunday, jun 22

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

Alert Issued For Scams Involving Fake Arrest Warrants Law enforcement agencies in the Hudson Valley are cautioning about a returning scam making the round involving fraudsters posing as corrections officers claiming there is a warrant out for their victims’ arrest. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert after receiving multiple reports from local residents regarding a scam involving the phony arrest warrants that can disappear if they are paid a certain amount of money. “Scams are ways in which criminals will attempt to get money from people by contacting them and making up elaborate stories,” according to the Dutchess Count…

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

News

Utility Pole Fire Knocks Out Power Throughout Northampton Some were left without power in Western Massachusetts when a utility pole caught fire overnight. In Hampshire County, firefighters were called to the intersection of King Street and North Street in Northampton shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, when a pole caught fire and caused power outages downtown. The fire engulfed the entire pole, but Northampton firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames. Some in the area were left without power for more than two hours as National Grid reported more than 200 outages shortly after 10 p.m. with power largely restored by 10:30 p.…

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

Schools

CT Schools Superintendent On Leave After Claims Of Harassment, Intimidation In District A schools superintendent in Connecticut has been placed on administrative leave amid allegations of harassment and intimidation among school administrators. In Middlesex County, the Middletown Board of Education agreed in a special meeting on Monday, Oct. 18 to grant Superintendent Michael T. Conner his request to go on leave as they plan to investigate the claims, granting him a leave of absence, effective immediately. The move comes following several school unions calling on city officials to take action following multiple anonymous complaints about harassment and intimidation. A…

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

News

Online Sports Wagering, iCasino Opening In Connecticut Online sports wagering and iCasino are set to make their debut in Connecticut sooner than expected. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that as of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, the Mohegan Tribe, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe can start offering online gambling to adults 21 and older. The announcement comes following a seven-day soft launch in Connecticut after receiving approval to move forward with the plan. Earlier story - CT Moves Forward In Establishing Sports Wagering, Online Gambling Officials said that more than 130 games have been approved …

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

News

Suspect Nabbed In Fatal CT Hit-Run Crash Connecticut State Police investigators have arrested a man in connection to a fatal crash that killed a 14-year-old girl who was riding her bike over the summer. On Thursday, July 29, Gianna Vincelett was struck and killed while riding her bike with a friend during a slumber party on Route 81 in Higganum in the town of Haddam in Middlesex County. After striking the girl, police said that the driver proceeded to speed away without stopping, prompting a lengthy investigation. The subsequent investigation by State Police led to the arrest of Higganum resident Thomas Cretella, age 27, who turn…

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

News

Covid-19: Hospitalizations Up, Infection Rate Holds Steady In CT, Latest Breakdown Of Cases The positive COVID-19 infection rate in Connecticut is back below 2 percent as it continues fluctuating daily as the state contends with variants of the virus. In the latest COVID-19 update released by the state Department of Health on Monday, Oct. 18, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont reported that over the weekend, 62,825 COVID-19 tests were administered over the weekend, resulting in 1,147 new laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus for a 1.83 percent positive infection rate. Fifteen new COVID-19 patients were admitted to Connecticut hospitals, bringing the total to 247 being treated statewide…

by Zak Failla

10/19/2021

Police & Fire

Police Ask Public's Help In Investigation Of Murder Of Woman On Long Island Know anything? Police investigators on Long Island are seeking information from the public as they continue investigating the murder of a 28-year-old woman who was fatally shot earlier this year. Original story - ID Released For Suffolk County Woman Shot, Killed During Incident Thiasia Williams was sitting in her car at approximately 12:06 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1 in front of an apartment complex on Martin Luther King Drive in Hempstead when she was shot and killed in the driver’s seat. Police said that the shots were fired from a white four-door sedan that was traveling westbound on Mar…

by Zak Failla

10/18/2021

News

Former Nypd Officer From Westchester Admits To Trafficking Meth, Liquid Date Rape Drug A former NYPD officer from the Hudson Valley admitted to his role in running a scheme to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine and liquid date rape drugs in New York, federal officials announced. Bronxville resident John Cicero, age 39, a former NYPD officer, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 13 to distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and gamma-butyrolactone (known as “GBL”) in Westchester County and New York City. Beginning in 2017 through his arrest in February 2020, US. Attorney Damian Williasm said that Cicero and his co-conspirators stockpiled and sold liters of GBL a…

by Zak Failla

10/18/2021

Schools

Westchester School District Ranks In Top 10 Nationally A school district in Westchester is among the top 10 in the nation, according to a newly released ranking. Each year, Niche issues its rankings of the top districts across the US, factoring in reviews from parents, students, and data from the US Department of Education. According to Niche, ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and other data. This year, the Scarsdale Union Free School District was the only one in Westchester to crack the top 10, landing at ninth overall. Earning an o…

by Zak Failla

10/18/2021

Schools

Four Long Island School Districts Rank In Top 10 Nationally It’s no secret that Long Island is home to some of the nation’s finest public school districts. But which top the list? Each year, Niche issues its rankings of the top districts across the US, factoring in reviews from parents, students, and data from the US Department of Education. According to Niche, ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and other data. This year, four Long Island schools landed among the top 10 in the country, according to the new ranking. Third overall was Great…

by Zak Failla

10/18/2021

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