Christopher Placek joined the Daily Herald in November 2010, and currently covers news in Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows and Rosemont, as well as Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Harper College.
He has reported extensively on local controversies, including the intergovernmental dispute between the village of Glen Ellyn and College of DuPage, and debates on the Carol Stream library board that resulted in the firing of the library director.
Placek is a three-time Peter Lisagor award winner for his coverage of political/government reporting and breaking news.
His interest in becoming a reporter was sparked at age 9. By age 12, he was publisher of his very own family newsletter, the Placek Press. Placek was an intern for the Daily Herald, WBBM-TV, and DeBat Media, a Chicago-based real estate public relations firm.
He is a 2010 graduate of Marquette University, where he majored in journalism and minored in political science. He attended Notre Dame High School in Niles and Edgebrook Elementary School in Chicago. He is also an Eagle Scout.
Placek is a lifelong resident of Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood.