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Friday, aug 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

Police & Fire

Beer In Hand, Stafford Man Tells Deputies ‘Catch Me’ Before Sprinting Into Traffic: Sheriff A Virginia man who allegedly downed a beer in public and shouted “you’re gonna have to catch me” to law enforcement learned the hard way that deputies take that kind of challenge seriously. The sheriff’s office said it started around 1:08 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, when a deputy responded to a disturbance at Waffle House on Civilian Street in Stafford County. A man, later identified as 35-year-old David Owens, appeared intoxicated and was reportedly talking inappropriately to female employees, officials said. Before the deputy arrived, a fire marshal spotted Owens walking on Celebrate Virgin…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Lifestyle

‘Amazing And So Strong’: Maryland Girl, 2, Battling Cancer At Chop Inspires Community Support A 2-year-old Maryland girl is in the fight of her life at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) — and an entire community is stepping up to help. Gracie has spent her entire life battling unexplained symptoms and enduring countless doctor visits before a recent cancer diagnosis stunned the family. Specialists at CHOP have worked “tirelessly to uncover a diagnosis after many failed treatments," according to a family friend, but her condition remains tricky. “This journey has been emotionally and financially overwhelming for her family,” organizers of a fundraiser set up for the fam…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Lifestyle

Leesburg Opens First Themed Playground At Ida Lee Park For Kids 5 And Under Leesburg’s youngest residents have a brand-new place to play, and it comes with a school bus, musical flowers, and even a giant caterpillar. Vice Mayor Todd Cimino-Johnson joined members of the Parks & Recreation and Capital Projects Departments on Wednesday, Aug. 13, to cut the ribbon on the town’s first themed playground at Ida Lee Park. Designed for children ages five years old and under, the new small playground features a “play bus” that encourages discovery, creativity, and connection with nature, organizers said. Kids can climb, slide, spin in a cocoon, explore sensory pan…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Traffic

Miles-Long Backup Reported After Tractor-Trailer Crash Shuts Down I-495 In Montgomery County A tractor-trailer crash on I-495 in Montgomery County shut down all westbound lanes and caused miles of backups Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 13, according to transportation officials. The crash happened on the Outer Loop at the I-270 Spur (Exit 38), the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) program reported shortly after 2 p.m. All lanes were blocked and delays stretched roughly 2.5 miles. By 2:46 p.m., officials said all lanes were still closed, with traffic being diverted to MD-187 (Exit 36). Delays had grown to about three miles. A Maryland Department of T…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Police & Fire

No Arson Found In Waldorf Fire That Killed 6 — Cause Remains A Mystery After Deadly Blaze Investigators say a disconnected smoke alarm with no battery was found in the basement of a Maryland home where six people — including four children — were killed in a weekend fire. The Office of the State Fire Marshal said the deadly blaze broke out Sunday morning, Aug. 10, in Waldorf, killing victims believed to be the wife and three children of the homeowner, along with the wife and child of another surviving resident of the home. While no evidence of arson has been found, the cause is still under investigation, officials said. All smoke alarms on the first and second floors were …

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

News

Texas Top 10 Most Wanted Child Sex Assault Suspect Captured In Severn: Sheriff A fugitive once featured on Texas’s Top 10 Most Wanted list for sexually assaulting a child has been captured in Maryland, authorities announced. Deputies with the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Tactical Response Unit arrested 34-year-old Brian C. Stevenson on Wednesday, Aug. 13, in the 1700 block of Independence Court in Severn. Stevenson was wanted out of Anderson County, Texas, for eight counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and bail jumping – failure to appear (felony), the sheriff’s office said. According to officials, Stevenson was placed on Texas’s Top 10 Most Wanted list in…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Man Built, Stole Scooter From Walmart, Failed To Register As Sex Offender: Sheriff A wanted Woodbridge man didn’t just steal from Walmart — deputies say he built himself an electric getaway ride inside before speeding off for a bite to eat, where he was busted. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said 37-year-old Phillip Douglas walked into the Walmart on Village Parkway around 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, assembled an electric scooter in the store, and “sped out” without paying. A deputy spotted Douglas riding near Popeyes on Warrenton Road and stopped him. Authorities say he claimed he “found” the stolen scooter, but when another deputy arrived to detain hi…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Obituaries

‘Heart Of Her Family’: Maryland Mom, Police Corporal's Wife Dies Suddenly, Leaves Behind 2 Kids Jen Smith was the "heart of her family" — now her family is picking up the pieces after her unexpected death in Maryland. Smith died on Thursday, Aug. 7, according to loved ones, leaving behind her husband, Prince George's County Police Cpl. Donald Smith and their two children. “Jen was the heart of her family — a devoted wife to Donnie and a loving mother to Katelinn and Makenzie,” organizers of a fundraiser set up for the family wrote. “She was known for her warmth, kindness, and the way she made everyone feel valued and loved.” The fundraiser says Jen’s passing “has left an unfill…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

News

‘I Ignored Warning Signs’: Maryland Man Jailed For Strangling Partner, Prosecutors Say A Maryland man will serve more than a decade in prison after prosecutors said he strangled, punched, and threatened his partner during a violent domestic assault she tried to blame on herself. Logan Hakeem Young, 41, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with all but 12 years suspended, for first-degree assault, according to the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office. He pleaded guilty to the charge in April. Prosecutors said the State asked for — and received — the top of the sentencing guidelines. The case stems from an attack on Aug. 24, 2024, when police were called at approxim…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

Police & Fire

Audi Driver On The Run After Fatal Hit-Run In Stafford: Deputies Seize SUV Two in Virginia are behind bars after authorities say they helped a hit-and-run suspect dodge deputies following a deadly crash. The search continues for 21-year-old Gabriela Alejandra Bonilla Flores, who is wanted in connection with the hit-and-run that left a 36-year-old man dead after she struck him with her white Audi SUV earlier this month in Stafford. The fatal crash happened just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, on Richmond Highway near Foreston Woods Drive, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the victim was walking northbound on the right shoulder w…

by Zak Failla

08/13/2025

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