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Saturday, may 31

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

Tornado, Flood Watches Issued Across DMV As Severe Storms Approach A powerful storm system is sweeping through the Mid-Atlantic, prompting tornado watches and flood alerts across the DMV region on Friday. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a tornado watch effective until 8 PM for parts of central Virginia, the eastern West Virginia panhandle, and surrounding areas, authorities announced. Severe storms are expected to roll through the region on Friday. National Weather Service A flood watch is also in effect for the entire region, with forecasts predicting up to five inches of rain and the potential for flash flooding. There…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Lifestyle

Maryland’s Newest Millionaire Credits Mom, Tradition After Lucky Scratch-Off At Gas Station She bought a drink. She bought a few scratch-offs. She became a millionaire. Just another day in Maryland. A Randallstown woman is officially living the dream — and it all started with a pit stop at a gas station in Annapolis and a family tradition that’s finally paid off in a big way. The Baltimore County resident, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed the $1 million top prize on a Lucky 777 scratch-off this week, the Maryland Lottery announced on Friday, May 30. For her, scratching tickets isn’t just a hobby. It’s something she grew up doing with her mom — and her mom was no stranger to…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Police & Fire

Mystery Man Spits On Everyone He Sees In Woodbridge — And Police Still Have No Idea Who He Is He spat on a 7-Eleven worker. He spit on a road crew. He spit on the cops who tried to stop him. And days later — nobody even knows his name. Prince William County Police are trying to figure out who a man is after he allegedly went on an unhinged spitting spree in Woodbridge — targeting strangers at a 7-Eleven, a Wendy’s, a construction crew, and even officers before getting tackled and arrested. The trouble started around 10:35 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, when police were called to the 7-Eleven on Old Bridge Road after a man “spat on an employee before leaving the business.” Moments later…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Police & Fire

Manassas Man Assaults Woman Driving With Kids In Car, Police Say A Virginia man is facing multiple charges after allegedly elbowing a woman in the face — while she was driving — during a violent incident that played out in front of three children, authorities said. Jawid Sakhizada, 42, of Manassas, was arrested in Woodbridge after officers with the Prince William County Police Department responded to a call for a domestic dispute along Minnieville Road near Delany Road shortly before p.m. on Tuesday, May 27. According to investigators, Sakhizada and the 32-year-old woman — who is a family member — were arguing when the confrontation suddenly turned physi…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

News

Maryland Man Back To Prison After Robbing 6 Banks In 2-Day DC Crime Spree: Feds He passed notes, made death threats, hit six banks in two days — and now, he’s going back to federal prison. Jonathon Brown-Murphy, 44, of Upper Marlboro, is heading back behind bars after launching into a wild two-day bank robbery spree across Maryland and DC, authorities announced. The previously convicted felon, already with two robbery sentences under his belt, tried to rob or successfully robbed six banks in May 2022 using threatening notes — including messages like "Give Me The Money Don’t Get Killed!!" — that sent terrified tellers scrambling for cash. Brown-Murphy started the spree…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Police & Fire

Man Killed In Montgomery County Parking Lot Fight, DC Suspect Arrested After 2 Weeks: Police A District man has been apprehended after a two-week manhunt for allegedly stabbing a man to death during a fight outside a Maryland apartment complex, police say. Guy Tyrell Johnson, 42, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 31-year-old Emmanuel Bisudu Sesay on Thursday, May 15 in White Oak, the Montgomery County Police Department announced on Friday afternoon. According to detectives, Johnson got into a fight with Sesay around 10:30 p.m. in a parking lot in the 11400 block of Lockwood Drive. During the altercation, Johnson stabbed Sesay and ran, police said. …

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Police & Fire

Tour Bus Erupts In Flames At Montgomery County Park-And-Ride, Sending One To Hospital A tour bus erupted into flames at a Maryland park-and-ride lot on Friday, sending thick smoke skyward and one person to the hospital, officials said. The fiery spectacle broke out just before 11:30 a.m. on May 30 at the park-and-ride lot on Georgia Avenue near MD-200 (ICC), according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Photos from the scene show heavy charring across the side of a Coach USA bus, with blown-out windows, scorched seats, and damage near the rear wheels where the blaze appears to have originated. Foam from fire suppression efforts surrounded the wreckage. Twitter/@m…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

News

Casket Found Dumped On PG County Curb Shocks Official: 'Top 5 Most Unbelievable Calls' You never know what you’ll find on trash day in Maryland ... But this is a new one. A bizarre scene played out this week in Prince George’s County, where a full-sized bronze casket was discovered abandoned on the grass next to the sidewalk along Lords Landing Road in Upper Marlboro — no body inside, but plenty of questions. County officials were floored when the call came in. “This has to be among the top five unbelievable constituent calls that I have responded to as public servant over the last 30 years!” Prince George’s County Council Member Calvin Hawkins said. “An abandoned casket lef…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Politics

These NJ Cities Targeted By Trump For Defying Federal Immigration Laws: See The List A long list of cities and counties across the country are now officially in the federal government’s crosshairs for refusing to comply with immigration law. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a sweeping new list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” that it says are deliberately defying federal immigration enforcement — and officials are calling them out by name. The release follows Executive Order 14287, signed by President Donald Trump in April, which directs DHS and the Department of Justice to highlight jurisdictions that allegedly shield “criminal illegal aliens” from arres…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

Police & Fire

Virginia Man, 21, Slapped With 100 Child Porn Charges After Raid, Police Say A 21-year-old Virginia man is facing 100 counts of child pornography possession after an arrest by police in Blacksburg, authorities announced. Nirish Chilakala was taken into custody on Tuesday, May 27, after officers with the Blacksburg Police Department served a search warrant at a home in the 600 block of Broce Drive, police said. Chilakala was charged with 100 counts of possession of child pornography following what officials described as an ongoing investigation. He was released on a $10,000 secured bond, according to the department. Police say the investigation is still active, and…

by Zak Failla

05/30/2025

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