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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
Woman Fatally Struck By School Bus In Maryland ID’d: Police Woman Fatally Struck By School Bus In Maryland ID’d: Police
Woman Fatally Struck By School Bus In Maryland ID’d: Police A 55-year-old woman was killed after falling into traffic and being struck by a school bus in Baltimore County, authorities confirmed. Lisa Hennessey died at the scene after she fell into the roadway and was hit by a 2015 International Bus near Philadelphia Road and Ridge Road in Rossville around 1:55 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, Baltimore County Police said. Investigators say that Hennessey was treated at the scene of the crash by first responders, who ultimately pronounced her dead at the scene. The bus was reportedly en route to pick up students on Wednesday afternoon. No other injur…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Instagram Predator Preyed On Child He Met Online In Manassas, Police Say Teen Instagram Predator Preyed On Child He Met Online In Manassas, Police Say
Teen Instagram Predator Preyed On Child He Met Online In Manassas, Police Say A 19-year-old Virginia man is being held without bond after allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl he met on Instagram, authorities in Prince William County announced. Widman Eduardo Vicente Lopez, of Manassas, was arrested on Wednesday, June 4 following an investigation into a reported rape that happened between April 27 and April 30 on Nadia Street in Manassas. Detectives say the victim, who is under the age of 13, had been communicating with Vicente Lopez on social media when he began soliciting sexual acts from the child. Police say that Vicente Lopez later met with the g…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Dumfries Man, 64, Exposed Himself To Girl, 12, On Neighborhood Walk: Police Dumfries Man, 64, Exposed Himself To Girl, 12, On Neighborhood Walk: Police
Dumfries Man, 64, Exposed Himself To Girl, 12, On Neighborhood Walk: Police A 64-year-old Virginia man is facing charges after police say he exposed himself to a young girl walking down a neighborhood street. Ronnie Earl Spencer, of Dumfries, was arrested Wednesday, June 4, following an incident that occurred around 8:30 a.m. two days earlier, Prince William County Police said. Investigators said a 12-year-old girl was walking near the 17900 block of Milroy Drive on Monday, June 2, when she saw Spencer exposing himself. The girl quickly left the area and alerted a family member, who contacted police. No physical contact occurred, authorities noted. Spencer, whose…

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by Zak Failla
News
'Father Figure' Who Groomed Young Girl In Maryland Learns Prison Fate 'Father Figure' Who Groomed Young Girl In Maryland Learns Prison Fate
'Father Figure' Who Groomed Young Girl In Maryland Learns Prison Fate A Maryland man who groomed a young girl for years before sexually assaulting her is heading to prison, authorities announced. Thoraz Xavier Smallwood, 39, of Waldorf, has been sentenced to 15 years for sexually abusing a minor who he "became like a father figure to," according to the Charles County State's Attorney on Thursday, June 5. In June 2023, prosecutors say that a detective from the sheriff's office spoke with the young girl about the abuse, when she reported that she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by Smallwood. The investigation Smallwood was introduced to the vic…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Pedestrian Killed Crossing Highway In Gainesville Hit-Run Crash, Driver At Large: Police Pedestrian Killed Crossing Highway In Gainesville Hit-Run Crash, Driver At Large: Police
Pedestrian Killed Crossing Highway In Gainesville Hit-Run Crash, Driver At Large: Police A pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash early Thursday morning in Gainesville, and the driver never stopped, police said. Officers responded to the intersection of Lee Highway and Virginia Oaks Drive shortly before 2 a.m. on June 5, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr with the Prince William County Police Department. Investigators said the victim was attempting to cross Lee Highway when they were hit by a northbound vehicle. The driver fled the scene without stopping. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Their identity is being withheld pending notif…

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by Zak Failla
Sports
ESPN 'SportsCenter' Star Jay Harris Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis On 'GMA' ESPN 'SportsCenter' Star Jay Harris Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis On 'GMA'
ESPN 'SportsCenter' Star Jay Harris Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis On 'GMA' Longtime ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor Jay Harris made a somber reveal Thursday on "Good Morning America."  The Norfolk, Virginia, native announced that he has prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery next week, temporarily stepping away from ESPN. “I’m having surgery on Tuesday. I'll be away from 'SportsCenter 'for about a month to recover," Harris said while making the announcement on Good Morning America with Michael Strahan. "Then I'm coming back better than ever.” @gma JUST IN: ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris reveals prostate cancer diagnosis: “I’m having surger…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Man Killed In Weekend Stabbing, Woman Arrested: 'He Had So Much Life Ahead' Maryland Man Killed In Weekend Stabbing, Woman Arrested: 'He Had So Much Life Ahead'
Maryland Man Killed In Weekend Stabbing, Woman Arrested: 'He Had So Much Life Ahead' A Baltimore family is reeling after a man was fatally stabbed over the weekend. An arrest has been made, but the heartbreak is just beginning. According to police, 26-year-old Demetri Briscoe Jr. was attacked during a physical altercation in the city’s Northeast District early Sunday, June 1, before being driven to a nearby hospital, where he later died. According to the Baltimore Police Department, officers were called to the 3000 block of Westfield Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, for a report of an armed person.  Officers arrived to find evidence of a crime scene, b…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says
High Teen ‘Didn’t Mean To Interrupt’ Deputies Before DUI Arrest In Stafford, Sheriff Says A high and unlicensed teen driver nearly caused multiple crashes before apologizing for "interrupting" a deputy’s shift during a wild DUI stop in Stafford County, authorities said. The chaos unfolded around 1:56 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, when a deputy spotted an Acura swerving dangerously on Richmond Highway near Rowser Street, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said, prompting a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, the 16-year-old driver allegedly veered into oncoming traffic — driving southbound in the northbound lanes — before eventually pulling over, officials said. When the deputy …

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by Zak Failla
News
Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds
Virginia Hunter Gets 1 Day In Prison For Poisoning Bald Eagle, Beating Hawk: Feds A Virginia man who admitted to poisoning a bald eagle and brutally bludgeoning a trapped hawk with a pole was sentenced to just one day in prison, according to court records. William Custis Smith, of Accomack County, confessed to federal agents that he used illegal pole traps and a banned insecticide to kill birds of prey that flew onto his Hallwood property — including a juvenile bald eagle, the nation’s symbol. The shocking discovery began in early 2023, when wildlife officials received an anonymous tip about a suspicious trap set up near a waterfowl impoundment, officials said. When age…

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by Zak Failla
News
Crash Leaves Maryland Woman Clinging To Life As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side Crash Leaves Maryland Woman Clinging To Life As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side
Crash Leaves Maryland Woman Clinging To Life As Sister Refuses To Leave Her Side As Megan Rowley clings to life in a Maryland trauma center, her older sister Katie hasn’t left her side—not for a second. The 31-year-old Mechanicsville woman was critically injured in a devastating head-on crash on Mechanicsville Road around 1:15 p.m. Friday, May 30, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said. According to investigators, 79-year-old Marjorie Swann Boyers of Chaptico was driving southbound in a Toyota Highlander when, for reasons still unknown days later, she crossed the center line and struck Megan’s Chrysler 200 head-on.  A young family member was also in the car w…

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by Zak Failla
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