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Thursday, jun 26

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: CT School Goes Remote Amid Surge Of New Infections A surge in new COVID-19 cases is forcing a Connecticut elementary school to transition to its distance learning model to start the school year. The Hebron School District in Tolland County issued a notice to the community that due to the speed of the spread of the virus within the Gilead Hill School, it will have to go remote. According to district officials, the school will reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Schools Superintendent Thomas Baird said that the number of COVID-19 cases in staff and students is at a similar level of infections during other periods of high tra…

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

Schools

Covid-19: Massachusetts District Quarantines Two Classrooms Right After School Starts The new year got off to a false start for some schools in Massachusetts that are contending with new COVID-19 cases. The Melrose School District in Middlesex County is reporting seven confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in the district among adults and students, forcing some students and staff who were considered close contacts to quarantine. In Melrose, the new outbreak impacted at least two classrooms, though Gov. Charlie Baker said that returning to remote learning is not an option following a lost year for many students. “Schools have a certain number of days baked into their calendar t…

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

News

Covid-19: New Variant Believed To Be More Transmissible Than Delta Has Been Found In 49 States Alarm bells are sounding for some health officials as a new, possibly more transmissible COVID-19 variant has now been identified in 49 states. The mu variant, first discovered in Colombia in January, is threatening to become the dominant strain of the virus, potentially overtaking the Delta variant, as health officials continue to combat the constantly mutating virus. According to reports, the only state in the US that has not recorded a case of the mu virus is Nebraska after the strain it made its presence known in Alaska and Hawaii recently. The new variant is believed to be more trans…

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

News

Storms, Strong Winds May Cause Power Interruptions, Central Hudson Warns A new round of power outages could be in store for parts of the region as storms potentially bringing rain and strong winds are approaching the region. Central Hudson issued an alert on Wednesday, Sept. 8 cautioning that it is preparing crews for thunderstorms that could bring strong wind gusts and lightning, potentially causing service interruptions. According to the company, forecasts are calling for a cold front to move into the area Wednesday evening that has the potential to bring "scattered, but powerful thunderstorms and wind gusts in excess 50 mph in some areas." Related story - …

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

News

Long Island Man Charged With Animal Cruelty For Abusing Dog, SPCA Says SPCA detectives on Long Island busted a man for animal cruelty following an investigation into an abused dog. Roy Gross, the Chief of the Suffolk County SPCA announced that on Saturday, Sept. 4, detectives arrested Patchogue resident Reed Lewis, age 29, following an investigation into reports of an abused animal. According to the SPCA, Lewis failed to provide necessary sustenance, including food and veterinary care, to his 3-year-old pit bull, “Princess.” When investigators examined the dog, they found her to be severely underweight with her ribs and bones clearly visible and with pus com…

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

News

20-Year-Old From Northern Westchester Sentenced For Fatally Stabbing Teen A man will spend decades in prison after fatally stabbing a teenager in Northern Westchester and proceeding to attack a fellow detainee while in jail. Jahliv Niles, age 20, of Peekskill, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Omarion McKenzie. He was also sentenced to two years in prison with three years post-release supervision for attacking a fellow detainee at Westchester County Jail in Valhalla. In May, Niles pleaded guilty to felony counts of manslaughter and second-degree assault. …

by Zak Failla

09/08/2021

News

Covid-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down In CT; Latest Breakdown Of Cases By County The positive COVID-19 infection rate in Connecticut was back down below 3 percent as the state continues to contend with new variants of the virus. Over the holiday weekend, there were 61,032 new COVID-19 tests administered, according to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, resulting in 1,612 new laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus. The 2.60 percent infection rate follows a recent trend of declining daily COVID-19 numbers in Connecticut after peaking at more than 5 percent. Two new COVID-19 patients were discharged from Connecticut hospitals, leaving 363 still being treated for the virus…

by Zak Failla

09/07/2021

Schools

Ida: Two Schools In Westchester Forced To Delay Openings A pair of schools in one of Westchester’s largest districts were forced to delay their reopening plans due to the damage caused by Tropical Depression Ida. In New Rochelle, both the high school and Isaac E. Young Middle Middle School sustained substantial damage, forcing contractors to make emergency repairs and delaying the reopening of the building to students and staff. Officials said that “most notably, at New Rochelle High School, the situation is serious. Unfortunately, the building received substantial damage, and will take significant time to remediate.” District officials sai…

by Zak Failla

09/07/2021

Police & Fire

Three Firefighters Injured, One Hospitalized In Westchester House Fire Several firefighters were injured battling a blaze that broke out in a Westchester home over the holiday weekend. First responders from the Scarsdale, Hartsdale, Greenville, White Plains, and Hartsdale fire departments were dispatched to an active fire on Myrtledale Road in Scarsdale at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4. Upon arrival, crews found both residents of the home safely evacuated from the residence, and there were no other people inside the home. While fighting the fire, which was quickly knocked down, two firefighters suffered minor injuries and refused medical atten…

by Zak Failla

09/07/2021

Police & Fire

Passenger Killed In Rollover Crash In Region A rollover crash in New England left a New York City resident dead and two others injured, authorities said. Massachusetts State Police troopers in Franklin County responded to the rollover crash on Route 91 south in Bernardston shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, which resulted in the death of a passenger. Police said that upon arrival, troopers found Flushing resident Oscar Lemus, age 32, ejected from a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder that had crashed and rolled over into the median. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but Lemus was pronounced dead after being transported t…

by Zak Failla

09/07/2021

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