Beyond the byline: Daily Herald senior writer Russell Lissau

Unlike many of his co-workers, senior writer Russell Lissau didn't grow up in the Chicago area.

A New York native, he lived on Long Island until moving to South Florida with his family when he was 9. He came to Illinois to study journalism at Northwestern University - and a few months after graduating in 1993, he landed a job with the Daily Herald covering the police beat in Cook County.

In 1997, Lissau transferred to the Lake County bureau and spent the next two decades covering the Lake County Board, the Lake County Forest Preserve District, Mundelein, Wauconda, Island Lake, Lincolnshire and a smattering of school, park and library districts.

In 2020 he was promoted to senior writer and changed beats once again. He now covers Wheeling, Des Plaines, Mundelein, Deer Park, towns in the Barrington area and other government agencies, as well as congressional campaigns in the suburbs.

Additionally, Lissau has worked as a freelance writer for decades. His byline has appeared in Chicago magazine, the Baltimore Sun, the Advocate, the Miami Herald and many other publications.

He also writes comic books, with credits including "The Batman Strikes," "Batman: War Games" and the new crime thriller "The Hardways." His work can be found online at russell-lissau.square.site.