Daily Herald journalists Patrick Kunzer, Tara Malone and Kara Spak traveled through China late last year for the paper’s ongoing suburban mosaic series. Joining them was Yang Li, a translator with the All China Journalist Association who was paid by the paper.

With Yang Li's help, reporting in China went smoothly. Getting there was more difficult. Kunzer, Malone and Spak worked for three months with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago and the journalism association to secure journalist visas allowing them into China, a communist country that controls the major media.

Patrick Kunzer is the Daily Herald’s night photo editor. He won first place in feature photography in the 2004 Illinois Press Photographer Association’s contest and is a 2004 Peter Lisagor award nominee. He joined the Daily Herald in 1999.

Tara Malone came to the Daily Herald in 2003, where she covers education and diversity. She graduated from Georgetown University and received a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Kara Spak joined the paper in 2000 and covers Cook County courts. Spak is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received a master's degree from Columbia University.