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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

Obituaries
Dumfries Teen Who Died Swimming In Potomac River Remembered As ‘Good Friend, Good Father' Dumfries Teen Who Died Swimming In Potomac River Remembered As ‘Good Friend, Good Father'
Dumfries Teen Who Died Swimming In Potomac River Remembered As ‘Good Friend, Good Father' An 18-year-old who went swimming with friends in the Potomac River was found dead over the weekend, authorities say. Now, his family is rallying community support to send his body back to Honduras. Late in the afternoon on Sunday, July 13, police say first responders were called to a stretch of the river, where they found Dumfries resident Manuel De Jesus Flores Bustillo. Officials believe that Bustillo was with two friends at the beach when they decided to go for a swim in the water near the pier. That's when Bustillo was reportedly swept away by the current, prompting a f…

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by Zak Failla
News
Deported Maryland Murder Accomplice Busted After Illegally Sneaking Back Into US: Feds Deported Maryland Murder Accomplice Busted After Illegally Sneaking Back Into US: Feds
Deported Maryland Murder Accomplice Busted After Illegally Sneaking Back Into US: Feds He got deported after a Maryland murder case — then came back. An El Salvadoran national who previously served time in Maryland after pleading guilty to accessory after the fact to murder is now facing federal prison after illegally re-entering the United States, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Edwin Armando Sanchez-Montiel, 33, pleaded guilty on Thursday, July 17, to unlawfully re-entering the country without permission following his 2024 deportation, federal prosecutors said. “Sanchez-Montiel did not obtain consent at any time from the Attorney General of the United States, or fro…

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by Zak Failla
Traffic
Massive Dulles Airport Expansion Plan Moves Forward: Here's What Travelers Can Expect Massive Dulles Airport Expansion Plan Moves Forward: Here's What Travelers Can Expect
Massive Dulles Airport Expansion Plan Moves Forward: Here's What Travelers Can Expect Big changes are coming to Dulles. A massive update to Washington Dulles International Airport’s (IAD) Master Plan was approved this week by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board, setting the stage for decades of airport development, officials said. The updated Master Plan lays out a long-term vision for expansion as passenger traffic climbs and airlines increase nonstop service from the airport, officials said.  With annual passenger activity projected to grow more than 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2024, the changes are designed to help Dulles keep pace with th…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Lightning Strike Destroys Conowingo Barns, Shed In $200K Blaze: Fire Marshal Lightning Strike Destroys Conowingo Barns, Shed In $200K Blaze: Fire Marshal
Lightning Strike Destroys Conowingo Barns, Shed In $200K Blaze: Fire Marshal Three buildings were leveled and a garage was damaged when a bolt of lightning set fire to a Conowingo property, officials say. The fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at a private property on the 100 block of McCauley Road, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. It happened approximately an hour after Cecil County went under a Flood Warning due to severe weather conditions. Investigators said the owners heard a lightning strike, then discovered flames spreading through several buildings on their property. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had engulfe…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
K9 Sniffs Out 13 Ounces Of Cocaine During Frederick Traffic Stop: Sheriff K9 Sniffs Out 13 Ounces Of Cocaine During Frederick Traffic Stop: Sheriff
K9 Sniffs Out 13 Ounces Of Cocaine During Frederick Traffic Stop: Sheriff A late-night traffic stop in Maryland turned into a felony drug bust when a K9 officer sniffed out more than 13 ounces of cocaine, according to authorities. Donta Shawn Allen, 25, of Baltimore, was busted on Tuesday, July 15, after a deputy with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office pulled him over around 8:30 p.m. on Route 340 westbound near Route 180 for an equipment violation, officials said. The deputy developed suspicions of possible drug activity and called in a K9 unit. The dog did a scan of the vehicle and gave a positive alert for narcotics, according to the sheriff's office. Depu…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Driver Dies After Slamming Into Stopped Semi On Route 301: State Police Maryland Driver Dies After Slamming Into Stopped Semi On Route 301: State Police
Maryland Driver Dies After Slamming Into Stopped Semi On Route 301: State Police A 26-year-old Maryland driver died after slamming into the back of a stopped tractor-trailer on Route 301, authorities said. Troopers with the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to the crash at 2:43 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, near Route 257 in Newburg, officials said on Wednesday. Andrew Ring, of Chester, was driving a Subaru Legacy north on Route 301 when he failed to slow for stopped traffic and crashed into a Freightliner truck tractor towing a semi-trailer, according to investigators. The truck, operated by Otis Coates, 55, of College Park, was reportedly stopped at a traf…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Teen Already In Jail Now Charged With Murder In Deadly Backyard Shooting: Police Maryland Teen Already In Jail Now Charged With Murder In Deadly Backyard Shooting: Police
Maryland Teen Already In Jail Now Charged With Murder In Deadly Backyard Shooting: Police An 18-year-old from Maryland is behind bars after police say he gunned down man in an area backyard. Jonathan Leross Jobe, of Salisbury, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder for his alleged role in the fatal shooting of Dajaud Rae’heim Townsend, Maryland State Police announced on Wednesday, July 16. The shooting was reported around 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in the 600 block of Smith Street, where Salisbury Police responded after getting multiple 911 calls about shots fired, according to the state police. **Update 07/15/25 7:00 PM** A homicide investigation is…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time
Maryland Officer Who Used Pepper Spray On Handcuffed Man During DC Stop Gets Prison Time A former Maryland police officer will spend more than six years behind bars for using excessive force during a traffic stop in Washington, DC. Philip Dupree, who was working as an officer with the Fairmount Heights Police Department at the time, was sentenced on Wednesday, July 16, to six years and two months in federal prison, the Department of Justice announced. The sentence follows Dupree’s conviction in June 2024, after a weeklong jury trial in which prosecutors said he crossed the line during a stop on Aug. 4, 2019. According to trial evidence, prosecutors say Dupree pulled over a dri…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Edgewood Woman Facing Eviction Who Set Fire That Killed 4 Learns Prison Fate Edgewood Woman Facing Eviction Who Set Fire That Killed 4 Learns Prison Fate
Edgewood Woman Facing Eviction Who Set Fire That Killed 4 Learns Prison Fate She’s going away for the rest of her life. Bobbie Sue Hodge, 66, of Edgewood, has been sentenced to life in prison, with all but 180 years to serve, for setting a deadly fire that killed four people in Harford County, officials announced. Hodge was sentenced to 40 years in prison for each of the four counts of first-degree felony murder and 20 years for three counts of second-degree assault.  The sentences run consecutively for a total of 180 years to serve, according to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office. The case stems from a fire on May 9, 2019, in the 1900 block of Simo…

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by Zak Failla
News
‘Organs’ Found Near Havre de Grace Dumpster Spark Police Scare (DEVELOPING) ‘Organs’ Found Near Havre de Grace Dumpster Spark Police Scare (DEVELOPING)
‘Organs’ Found Near Havre de Grace Dumpster Spark Police Scare (Developing) A suspicious find near a dumpster in Harford County sent first responders scrambling Tuesday afternoon. Officers with the Havre de Grace Police Department were called around 3:09 p.m. on July 15, to the 100 block of Ohio Street, authorities said. When they arrived, they found what “appeared to be organs and unknown tissues near a dumpster,” the department said. Detectives and investigators from the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner responded to the scene, and the recovered material was sent for testing and analysis. According to police, the items were tested and “found to be n…

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by Zak Failla
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