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Tuesday, jul 15

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

Weather

Thousands Without Power As Flash Floods Slam Maryland (Developing) Crews are working around the clock to repair hundreds of outages reported across the DMV as flash floods wreaked havoc across the region. Thousands were without power as of 8:15 p.m. on Monday, July 14, as storms rolled through the area, sending flood waters flowing and causing chaos for residents and businesses. Shortly before 8 p.m. on Monday night, there were reports of flash flooding throughout the region, with as many as three inches of rain falling per hour, according to reports. Weather expected 5p-10p @MontgomeryCoMD (possibly 2-3 inches of rain per hour.)***@mcfrs upstaffing Sw…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

News

Lexington Park Man Who Stabbed Ex-Girlfriend, Houseguest During Home Invasion Sentenced To Life A Maryland man who stabbed two women in a vicious home invasion has been sentenced to life in prison, with 50 years of active incarceration, prosecutors announced. Terek Demaury Ross, 29, of Lexington Park, will spend decades behind bars after being convicted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder for a violent 2024 attack in St. Mary’s County that left both victims severely wounded, according to St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling. The stabbing happened around 4:45 a.m. on Aug. 3, 2024, when Ross broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home on Ronald Drive in Lexington Park an…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Man Killed After Driver Blows Through Red-Light In Fairfax County: Police Police have identified the driver killed in a Fair Oaks crash after running a red light and slamming into another car, authorities announced. Stephen Rhodes, 69, of Fairfax, died after his 2012 Honda Accord was struck by a 2024 Hyundai Tucson at Monument Drive and Fairfax County Parkway, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. The crash happened around 1:22 p.m. on Friday, July 11, in the Fair Oaks Police District. Preliminary, the driver of a 2024 Hyundai Tucson was traveling eastbound on Monument Drive, drove through a red signal and struck a 2012 Honda Accord, police said. R…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Police & Fire

DC Man Shot Dead In Oxon Hill; $25K Reward Offered For Info On Shooter: Police Police are offering a $25,000 reward after a Washington, DC man was shot and killed Saturday night in Oxon Hill, authorities announced. Deon Damien Thomas, 31, was found with a gunshot wound outside in the 5000 block of Indian Head Highway around 8:20 p.m. on July 12, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. He was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Saturday night, the department said in a statement. Detectives are working to determine a motive and identif…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Police & Fire

‘Peeping Tom’ Arrest In Montgomery County Uncovers Child Porn, Bestiality: Police What started as an investigation into an alleged Peeping Tom incident in Maryland led to several disturbing discoveries, according to police. Javier Armando Pastran Morales, 32, of Rockville, is behind bars after allegedly recording a teenage girl inside a department store changing room, prompting a probe that led to a host of charges. In April, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called to Urban Outfitters at the Westfield mall when a 15-year-old girl reported that a man had recorded her in a changing room. Javier Armando Pastran Morales Google…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Police & Fire

Drunk Man Breaks Into Ex’s Virginia Home, Leaves With Booze: Stafford Sheriff A 32-year-old man is facing charges in Virginia after deputies say he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home while drunk — then drove away with booze in the car. The incident happened around 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11, when deputies were called to Randolph Road for a reported breaking and entering, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said. According to the victim, her ex-boyfriend showed up at the house “in an intoxicated state.” He allegedly broke off an exterior security camera, then tried to get in through a side door, but it was locked. “After realizing the door was locked, the suspect br…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

News

PA Man Convicted Of Dismembering Famed DC Photographer Facing Life In Prison In Maryland Sentencing has been scheduled for the Pennsylvania man convicted of murdering and dismembering famed Washington, DC, photographer Joe Shymanski, prosecutors announced. Brandon Ross Holbrook will face life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 18, in Calvert County Circuit Court in Prince Frederick, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Holbrook was found guilty of murder in June following an eight-day trial in Calvert County Circuit Court. According to prosecutors, Holbrook shot Shymanski on Sept. 3, 2023, in the driveway of …

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Politics

Trump Administration Freezes $110M In Maryland Education Grants, AG's Lawsuit Claims Just weeks before the new school year begins, prosecutors in Maryland and Virginia are among a growing coalition suing the Trump administration over a sudden freeze on billions in education grants that threatens to derail teacher training, special education services, and after-school programs across the region. The lawsuit, filed Monday, July 14, comes after the US Department of Education notified states late last month that it would not be releasing scheduled funds for six long-standing federal programs on July 1, despite years of precedent and approved state-level plans already in place. …

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Man Hits Student Driver, Crashes Into Fence During Wild DUI Chase: Stafford Sheriff A Springfield man is facing a stack of charges after he tried to flee from deputies by U-turning wildly through traffic before crashing through a fence and getting pepper-balled, authorities said. Jose Caballero, 31, was arrested in Stafford County on Saturday, July 12 after a pursuit on Richmond Highway that ended when his silver Lexus left the road, hit multiple posts, and got tangled in a chain link fence, the sheriff’s office said. The scene of the crash in Stafford County. Stafford County Sheriff The chaos started around 7:20 p.m., when a deputy traveling southbound on Richmond…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

Business

New Trader Joe’s Stores Coming Soon To DC And Virginia, Officials Say Trader Joe’s is expanding in the DMV region, with two new stores “coming soon” to Washington, DC and Virginia Beach. They come on the heels of the grocery giant opening a new space in Rockville last month — after a brief delay. The grocery chain announced that new locations are opening at: 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC (Friendship Heights); 220 Constitution Drive, Virginia Beach. At both spots, customers can expect the chain’s signature mix of popular frozen meals, budget-friendly produce, fresh flowers, craft beer, and quirky favorites like Mandarin Orange Chicken and Col…

by Zak Failla

07/14/2025

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