72°

Friday, jul 11

Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

FOLLOW ON

Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

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

Fugitive Wanted For Killing Father In Maryland Caught In Maine After Months On The Run: Police A Maryland man wanted for allegedly murdering his father earlier this year was captured in Maine after spending months on the run using a fake name, state police said. Jabril Roynell Walters, 31, of Salisbury, was arrested Tuesday, July 8, by the Maine Violent Offender Task Force in Auburn, according to Maryland State Police. He’s accused of fatally shooting his father, Roy Walters, 57, inside his Salisbury apartment in late February. Investigators believe Walters fled to Maine shortly after the murder and had been using an alias to avoid being apprehended. A homicide investigat…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

K9 Sniffs Out Fentanyl, Cocaine In Virginia Traffic Stop After Maryland Drug Run: Police A pair of suspected drug traffickers were caught with a massive stash of fentanyl, cocaine, and syringes during a July 4 bust on a Virginia back road, thanks to a sharp-nosed K9 and a long-running narcotics investigation, police said. Denvel Ball Jr., 58, of Spotsylvania, and Eric Glascock, 36, of Culpeper, were arrested after Culpeper Police Department detectives stopped their car near Ryland Chapel Road and Crookes Farm Road. The traffic stop followed a weeks-long investigation by the Blue Ridge Narcotic and Gang Task Force. Detectives had received a tip about a vehicle making runs…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Pedestrian Killed In Oxon Hill Hit-Run Crash; Police Searching For Driver A Maryland man was killed in a hit-and-run crash overnight, and now police are asking for help tracking down the driver. The deadly collision happened around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, on Wheeler Road near Birchtree Lane in Oxon Hill, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Responding officers found the man lying in the roadway with traumatic injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The preliminary investigation revealed the involved driver struck the pedestrian while traveling westbound on Wheeler Road, officials said. The driver did not remain on the sc…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Domestic Call In Waldorf Ends With Car In Creek, Fugitive In Cuffs: Sheriff A man with multiple warrants led deputies on a wild chase after crashing into a Maryland creek, then assaulted two officers before he was finally apprehended, authorities said. Kent Leroy Smith Jr., 34, is facing a stack of new charges after an early morning incident on Friday, July 4, in Waldorf, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office announced. Deputies responded just after 7:15 a.m. to a home in the 9400 block of Super Street after a woman called 911, saying she was hiding from a man who had just threatened her. Investigators later identified him as Smith and learned he had three act…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Obituaries

Son’s Friends Rally To Cover Funeral Costs After Kensington Mom Killed In Crash She meant the world to her family — and now they’re left navigating a heartbreaking loss no one saw coming. A woman killed while crossing Veirs Mill Road in Maryland is being remembered as a kind and caring soul whose death has left an unfillable void, as her son’s friends rally to help cover funeral costs. Blanca Elida Parada Del Cid, 47, of Kensington, was fatally struck by a car around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, near Galt Avenue, according to Montgomery County Police. Detectives from the department’s Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) said officers from the 4th District and Montgomer…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

Deadly Dog Walk: Woman Killed On Sidewalk In Derwood, Police Say A 69-year-old woman was killed in a tragic sidewalk crash while walking her dog in Maryland, authorities announced. Joan Debra Voith, of Derwood, was walking along Muncaster Mill Road near Applewood Lane around 11:39 a.m. Monday, July 7, when she was fatally struck by a car, Montgomery County Police said on Wednesday. The driver of a brown 2017 Buick Envision crossed over the eastbound lanes of traffic and left the roadway before hitting Voith, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. The dog was not injured, police said. The driver, an adult, stayed at the s…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Lifestyle

This State Eats More French Fries Than Anywhere Else In America—Guess Who’s Second? Virginia is officially the fry capital of America. And Maryland’s not far behind. Ahead of National French Fry Day on Thursday, July 11, a new survey found that residents of the Commonwealth eat more fries than anyone else in the country — putting away an average of 21 pounds of French fries per person each year, according to a Talker Research study commissioned by McCain Foods. Right on Virginia’s heels? Maryland, where the average adult chows down on about 20 pounds of fries per year — nearly a full pound and a half more than the national average. The poll, conducted between May 2…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

88 MPH Police Pursuit Ends In DUI Driver’s Backyard In Stafford: Sheriff A Stafford County man took the phrase “home safe” a little too literally after a high-speed chase ended in his own backyard, authorities said. Kenneth Jones, 26, of Stafford, was arrested early Wednesday morning after allegedly leading deputies on a wild pursuit that ended with him plowing through his neighbors’ yards and crashing near his home, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said. Around 12:15 a.m. on July 9, a deputy was heading southbound on Deacon Road when he clocked a Dodge Dart speeding north at 77 mph in a 45 mph zone. When the deputy tried to stop the car, the driver h…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Traffic

25-Year-Old Dies In Rear-End Crash With Tractor-Trailer In Maryland: State Police A 25-year-old man was killed early Wednesday morning, July 9, after slamming into the back of a stopped tractor-trailer on Route 301 in Kent County, authorities said. The crash happened just before 7:30 a.m. in the area of southbound US Route 301 at Maryland Route 313 (Galena Road) in Massey, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers from the Centreville Barrack responded and found the driver — who was the sole occupant of a Ford van — dead at the scene. His name is being withheld until family members are notified. No other injuries were reported. A tractor-trailer was slowed and stopp…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Police & Fire

$100K in Damage After Arsonist Targets Trucks at Maryland Transport Yard, Fire Marshal Says A firebug caused six-figure damage at an area transport yard after attempting to torch multiple trucks earlier this week, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Investigators say someone tried to set multiple vehicles ablaze at Murphy’s Transport on West Belle Road in Ridgely. The owner, Bryan Saathoff, discovered the fire damage to the interior of one truck early Monday, July 7, and soon realized several other vehicles had also been targeted. “Deputy State Fire Marshals have determined that someone attempted to set multiple vehicles on fire,” the agency said Wednesday, July 9…

by Zak Failla

07/09/2025

Prev Page 3 of 3414 1 2 3 4 5 Next

21 - 30 of 34,133 articles