Lee Filas was named the Daily Herald's first early morning web reporter in July 2008 after working for eight years as a staff writer. In his Dawn Patrol position, Filas searches for and posts early-morning breaking news stories and alerts to the dailyherald.com website. He also covers local government beats in Fox Lake, Lakemoor and Volo.

During his reporting career, he has covered local government beats in Fox Lake, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Hawthorn Woods, Lake Villa, Volo, Lakemoor, Wauconda, Island Lake, Hanover Park, Streamwood and Bartlett at various times throughout his 10 years at the Daily Herald. Filas was part of a team of journalists awarded a Peter Lisagor Award in 2010 for breaking news coverage of the escape, manhunt and capture of convicted robber Robert Maday. He was also nominated for a second Lisagor for his role in the coverage after three members of the Finnerty family perished in a suicidal blaze in Arlington Heights. He has also participated in coverage of the arrest of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in December 2008, the sudden closure of Bennigan's in the United States in July 2008, and the murder of Marina Aksman in April 2010 that led to a nationwide manhunt for the suspect.

Prior to joining the Daily Herald, Filas worked has served stints at the Northwest Herald, the Chicago Tribune, Pioneer Press and Lakeland Newspapers. He was a frequent guest on the morning show at WXLC 102.3 to discuss breaking news stories. Filas graduated in 1993 from Columbia College in Chicago with an English major and film minor.

Filas spent his early life in Niles before moving to Wonder Lake in his teen years. He is married with two children, and is living in unincorporated Lake County. His passion is building haunted houses, and is the co-creator and general manager of X-Treme Haunting's Haunted House in Fox Lake, a venture he started in 2002 with a friend. The business has been named one of the top haunted houses in Illinois by hauntedillinois.com since 2007.