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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
Threats Made Targeting Staff Members Leads To Increased Police Presence At Maryland HS Threats Made Targeting Staff Members Leads To Increased Police Presence At Maryland HS
Threats Made Targeting Staff Members Leads To Increased Police Presence At Maryland HS There will be an increased police presence at a Maryland high school on Thursday morning after police were called in to investigate a threat. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Baltimore County Police Schools administrators advised county police about an emailed threat targeting High School staff members that they have received. Baltimore County Police investigators were called in and ultimately determined the threats in the email were unsubstantiated, the agency announced on Thursday, Dec. 1.  The nature of the threat was not disclosed by authorities. According to officials, “out of an abundan…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Hit The Brakes: Maryland Extends Grace Period For Video Tolls Two Weeks Hit The Brakes: Maryland Extends Grace Period For Video Tolls Two Weeks
Hit The Brakes: Maryland Extends Grace Period For Video Tolls Two Weeks Maryland motorists were given a brief reprieve by the Transportation Authority (MDTA), which extended the grace period to pay video tolls by two weeks. Since February, the Customer Assistance Plan has been in place to benefit drivers for nine months, offering a civil penalty waiver for video tolls. That grace period was set to expire, but got a two-week extension and will now end at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14. The grace period initially was set to conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Original story - Last Call: Grace Period For Marylanders To Waive Civil Video Toll Pen…

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by Zak Failla
News
'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Stalking Co-Working 'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Stalking Co-Working
'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Stalking Co-Working Authorities say that a Maryland man who spent more than four years as an international fugitive attempting to avoid prosecution for stalking a younger co-worker will spend less than a year behind bars after being tracked down and re-arrested. Washington County resident Ranjith Keerikkattil, of Catonsville, left the United States after being found guilty of stalking a junior co-worker before he was re-arrested four years later and sentenced to an 11-month prison term, US Attorney Matthew Graves and Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee announced. Prosecutors said that Keerikkattil was foun…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Bat Population Ravaged By Fungus Listed As 'Endangered' By US Fish And Wildlife Service Bat Population Ravaged By Fungus Listed As 'Endangered' By US Fish And Wildlife Service
Bat Population Ravaged By Fungus Listed As 'Endangered' By US Fish And Wildlife Service President Joe Biden has added a new species of bat to the country’s endangered list in a final effort to spare the animal after it was devastated by a fungal disease that decimated its population over the past several years. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has reclassified the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as endangered as the species faces extinction due to the impacts of white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease that affects hibernating bats across North America. As of 2015, the species was listed as “threatened," but as the impacts of the disease continue to rapidly expa…

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by Zak Failla
News
DC Woman Who Repeatedly Head-Butted US Deputy In Court Sentenced To Prison Time: DOJ DC Woman Who Repeatedly Head-Butted US Deputy In Court Sentenced To Prison Time: DOJ
DC Woman Who Repeatedly Head-Butted US Deputy In Court Sentenced To Prison Time: DOJ Federal authorities say that a Washington, DC woman will spend more than a year behind bars for assaulting a Deputy US Marshal during a separate court proceeding earlier this year. Annabelle Liebsch, 38, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, with all but 18 months suspended pending the completion of 18 months probation after being found guilty by a jury in September of felony assault of a police officer. Liebsch was sentenced this week by Judge Jason Park. According to federal prosecutors, on May 2, Liebsch was physically present in a Superior Court courtroom before Judge Thomas Motley, i…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former DC Corrections Officer Accused Of Assaulting Handcuffed Inmate, Feds Say Former DC Corrections Officer Accused Of Assaulting Handcuffed Inmate, Feds Say
Former DC Corrections Officer Accused Of Assaulting Handcuffed Inmate, Feds Say A former District of Columbia Department of Corrections officer who allegedly assaulted a handcuffed inmate has been charged with using unreasonable force federal officials announced. Officials say that a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday, Nov 30, charging former officer Marcus Bias, 26, for an alleged incident more than three years ago. According to the indictment, while working as a corrections officer, Bias pushed a handcuffed pre-trial detainee’s head into a metal doorframe while escorting him within the Department of Co…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Accused Of Torching Home, Killing Teacher, Pets With Family In Virginia: Sheriff Maryland Man Accused Of Torching Home, Killing Teacher, Pets With Family In Virginia: Sheriff
Maryland Man Accused Of Torching Home, Killing Teacher, Pets With Family In Virginia: Sheriff Authorities say that a Maryland man and a family member have been arrested and charged in connection to the death of a 29-year-old teacher in Virginia. Leonardtown resident Demitri Raymond Gardiner, 28, and Michael John Gardiner, 35, of Montross, Virginia, are both facing a host of charges in Westmoreland County for their alleged roles in the brutal murder of Taylor Wood, 29, also of Montrose, and several of her pets, the sheriff’s office announced. According to the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, the agency was notified shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 of a structure fire…

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by Zak Failla
News
Small Plane Skids Off Runway At Newport News/Williamsburg Airport; No Injuries Reported Small Plane Skids Off Runway At Newport News/Williamsburg Airport; No Injuries Reported
Small Plane Skids Off Runway At Newport News/Williamsburg Airport; No Injuries Reported No injuries were reported in Virginia when a small plane skidded off the runway at the Newport News /Williamsburg Airport, according to authorities. Shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, state police and the Newport News International Fire Authority were on the scene to investigate when a pilot tried to land a small jet on Runway 25 when it skidded past the end due to a reportedly blown tire. Newport News/Williamsburg AirportGoogle Maps sat None of the three occupants of the plane were injured, nor was anyone on the ground. The damage from the crash was reportedly minimal. The cr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Detected In Birds, Poultry At Maryland Farm Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Detected In Birds, Poultry At Maryland Farm
Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Detected In Birds, Poultry At Maryland Farm Federal laboratory testing has confirmed a case of the highly pathogenic H521 avian influenza (HPAI) - more commonly known as bird flu - at a farm in Maryland. The investigation by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed that poultry from a Washington County farm has tested positive for HAPI. Officials say that all affected premises and birds on the properties have been quarantined and separated to help curtail any further spread of the disease. Any animals from the affected flocks will never…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Last Call: Grace Period For Marylanders To Waive Civil Video Toll Penalties Set To End Last Call: Grace Period For Marylanders To Waive Civil Video Toll Penalties Set To End
Last Call: Grace Period For Marylanders To Waive Civil Video Toll Penalties Set To End The clock is ticking for Maryland motorists who only have until just before midnight on Wednesday to pay video tolls within the Transportation Authority’s (MDTA) grace period. Since February, the Customer Assistance Plan has been in place as a brief reprieve for drivers, offering a civil penalty waiver for video tolls. That grace period is up at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30. When the clock strikes midnight, the MDTA will resume referrals of unpaid toll bills and civil penalties to the Central Collection Unit (CCU) and Maryland Department of Transportation MVA (MDOT MVA). During the gra…

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by Zak Failla
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