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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

Police & Fire
Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (PHOTOS) Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (PHOTOS)
Two Treated, Home Scorched In Fast-Moving Fredericksburg Basement Fire, Officials Say (Photos) A fast-moving basement fire forced a major emergency response to a Fredericksburg home Monday morning, sending smoke pouring through the house and prompting a multi-agency effort to stop it from spreading upstairs, officials said. Firefighters were called to the Fox Chase Subdivision around 8:30 a.m. on July 7, where they found heavy smoke coming from the front and rear of a three-story home, the Fredericksburg Fire Department reported. Crews made a quick entry through a walk-out basement door and encountered thick smoke and “high heat conditions” as they attacked active flames in one of th…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Funeral Plans Set For St. Mary's Deputy Who Died In Line Of Duty After Returning To Serve Funeral Plans Set For St. Mary's Deputy Who Died In Line Of Duty After Returning To Serve
Funeral Plans Set For St. Mary's Deputy Who Died In Line Of Duty After Returning To Serve The streets of Leonardtown will pause midweek to honor a lifelong lawman. The St. Mary’s County community is preparing to say goodbye to one of its longest-serving deputies, Sgt. Mark Porter, who died in the line of duty on Tuesday, July 1. Porter, 60, retired in 2022 after more than 34 years of service with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.  He returned shortly after as a contract deputy and continued working until his death.  The sheriff’s office said Porter’s death appears to be medically related and no foul play is suspected. “This is a heartbreaking day for our agenc…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Pizza Delivery Crashed, Burned After Stafford Driver’s Bootlegger ‘Sip,’ Sheriff Says Pizza Delivery Crashed, Burned After Stafford Driver’s Bootlegger ‘Sip,’ Sheriff Says
Pizza Delivery Crashed, Burned After Stafford Driver’s Bootlegger ‘Sip,’ Sheriff Says One Stafford County resident ended up hungry and another ended up in the hospital — all because their pizza delivery came with a side of DUI. Deputies were called to Rock Hill Church Road around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 5, for a crash involving a flipped vehicle. The car was upside down in the middle of the road, and the driver was spotted tossing something into the woods, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded and found the driver — who admitted he was on his way to deliver a fresh, hot pizza when things went sideways.  Literally. The scene …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Baltimore Firefighter Dies A Hero — Now His Family’s Mortgage Is Paid For Life Baltimore Firefighter Dies A Hero — Now His Family’s Mortgage Is Paid For Life
Baltimore Firefighter Dies A Hero — Now His Family’s Mortgage Is Paid For Life The family of fallen Baltimore firefighter Rodney Pitts III is receiving a powerful act of support following his line-of-duty death: their mortgage is being paid in full. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it has paid off the mortgage on the Baltimore home where Pitts lived with his fiancée, Natasha, and their three children: Harper, Arianna, and Hendrix. Pitts, 31, was killed in the line of duty while battling a rowhouse fire on Oct. 19, 2023, in Baltimore City.  He was one of two firefighters who lost their lives that day.  The original incident drew citywide mourning a…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Illegal Fireworks Result in Catastrophic Injury For PG County Teen: Fire Marshal Illegal Fireworks Result in Catastrophic Injury For PG County Teen: Fire Marshal
Illegal Fireworks Result in Catastrophic Injury For PG County Teen: Fire Marshal A Maryland teen suffered a devastating injury, and more than 1,300 fireworks were confiscated over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the State Fire Marshal. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is warning Marylanders about the dangers of illegal fireworks after several serious incidents during the Independence Day holiday. On the night of July 4, a 14-year-old boy in Prince George’s County suffered a catastrophic hand injury while handling illegal fireworks, officials said.  He was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery. His injuries are expected to result in perma…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’ Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’
Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’ Andrew Ascencio was between chapters — a sharp legal mind, a relentless traveler, and a loyal friend — when a tragedy abroad stunned friends and loved ones. Ascencio, 29, lost his life in an accident early in the morning of Friday, June 27 while vacationing in Australia, after leaving his job as a DOJ lawyer, loved ones said. "He had recently left the DOJ and was enjoying travel until starting his next chapter before tragically passing away," friend and former colleague Nicole Paladino wrote in a touching tribute. "Andrew was in our (two-)week NAC class and became an incredible friend to a…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Busted With Brambles In Hair On I-95 After Fleeing Drug Bust In Stafford: Sheriff Ex-Con Busted With Brambles In Hair On I-95 After Fleeing Drug Bust In Stafford: Sheriff
Ex-Con Busted With Brambles In Hair On I-95 After Fleeing Drug Bust In Stafford: Sheriff An ex-con ran from a drug bust and ended up on the side of I-95 with brambles in his hair — and now he’s back behind bars in Virginia, police said. A North Stafford drug investigation turned into a brief manhunt after Keialto Walker, 46, of Warsaw, bolted from a hotel Thursday evening, July 3, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called around 6:30 p.m. to the Staybridge Suites on Richmond Highway for a disturbance, officials say.  They quickly arrested one wanted suspect. While continuing the investigation, they found suspected drugs and identified a seco…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Police ID 21-Year-Old Clinton Man Found Shot To Death In Landover Neighborhood Police ID 21-Year-Old Clinton Man Found Shot To Death In Landover Neighborhood
Police ID 21-Year-Old Clinton Man Found Shot To Death In Landover Neighborhood A 21-year-old man was shot and killed in a targeted attack early Sunday morning in Maryland, police said. J’len Livingston, of Clinton, was fatally shot around 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2025, in the 7500 block of Allendale Drive in Landover, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Officers responded to the scene after receiving a report of a shooting. Livingston was taken to a hospital, where he later died, officials confirmed. The deadly shooting is believed to have been a targeted attack and was not random. “Preliminarily, detectives do not believe this was a random c…

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by Zak Failla
News
Freak Accident Leaves Baltimore Drummer Injured: 'The Mohawk Will Grow Back' Freak Accident Leaves Baltimore Drummer Injured: 'The Mohawk Will Grow Back'
Freak Accident Leaves Baltimore Drummer Injured: 'The Mohawk Will Grow Back' Baltimore’s "favorite shreddy mohawk-ed drumming bartender" is temporarily off their feet — but not off their game — after a brutal, freak accident left him hospitalized and out of work. Heath “Spicy Hellcat” Gorenflo, a beloved local staple behind the bar at Dutch Courage, was seriously injured on June 28 in an accident described by partner Amie Ward as “one of the most freak and metal AF” incidents imaginable. Following the accident, Gorenflo was left with a broken back, broken right foot, and a 10-inch gash across their head.  Heath "Spicy Hellcat" Gorenflo GoFundMe Des…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Shooting In Edgewood Leaves Man In Critical Condition, Woman Wounded, Sheriff Says Shooting In Edgewood Leaves Man In Critical Condition, Woman Wounded, Sheriff Says
Shooting In Edgewood Leaves Man In Critical Condition, Woman Wounded, Sheriff Says A man is fighting for his life and a woman was shot during a targeted attack in a Harford County neighborhood, according to authorities. Deputies responded to the 1600 block of Candlewood Court in Edgewood around 10:50 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, after a shooting was reported in the area, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office announced. Upon arrival, they found 24-year-old Malandra Respass and 23-year-old Daquan Futrell suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Both were treated by deputies at the scene before being rushed to the hospital. Respass was listed in stable condition, while Futrell rem…

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by Zak Failla
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