Lauren Warnecke
Deputy News DirectorLauren Warnecke is the Deputy News Director at WGLT. She joined the station as a correspondent in 2020 with a focus on arts and culture and became a full-time staff member in 2023. She became Deputy News Director in 2025.
You can reach Lauren at lewarne@ilstu.edu and 309-438-7869.
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Bradley W. Beyer was granted pretrial supervision last week after being arrested on 34 counts of possessing and viewing child pornography. A McLean County judge reversed that ruling, sending Beyer to jail to await trial. -
The region's only real-time data center collects and interprets information from license plate and public safety cameras. Bloomington Police plan to invest in crash detection tools and additional software and hardware upgrades. -
The Republican House member wouldn't commit to giving the Trump administration an additional $200 billion for the war effort, saying constituents don't want to see "boots on the ground." -
Chief Judge Casey Costigan and Associate Judge Amy McFarland said litigants aren't doing themselves any favors by using artificial intelligence in place of public defenders. -
Bradley Beyer was the co-director of McLean County elections until September 2025. He's been granted conditional release while awaiting trial. -
Republican state Rep. Dennis Tipsword wants to reform the Pretrial Fairness Act by changing the burden of proof from the prosecutor to the defendant. Domestic violence advocacy organizations want to focus more on the implementation of the law instead of changing it. -
Hosted by the League of Women Voters, the event profiled three recent laws aimed at reforming bail, public defense and relief for formerly incarcerated people who've served their time. -
Historian Barry McNealy teaches high school history and works with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. He'll give a public talk at Eureka College on March 27. -
A shortage of child care options has worsened in recent months following the closure of Kidsville, Bright Horizons and one of two Cadence Academy locations. -
Eswin Ixcotoyac-Tzoy, 23, is accused of posing as a juvenile on social media and traveling to Bloomington to meet a teenage girl.
