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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A Cincinnati-based Americana duo which once called Bloomington-Normal home is returning to play in the Twin Cities next month — in a venue they helped launch that's been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic. -
New data spanning more than two decades of court records in McLean County shows two-thirds of people convicted on criminal charges do not reoffend. -
A powerful teachers' union and Illinois law put up many barriers to firing tenured teachers, even ones with documented patterns of alleged misconduct. -
Unit 5 said it does not know the purpose of a FOIA request from the state's attorney's office for its emails, text messages and public records requests between WGLT and the district. It came after WGLT asked about the state's attorney's information sharing with Unit 5. -
A review of dozens of emails and other documents revealed siloed information sharing which kept Unit 5 from knowing what law enforcement and child welfare officials knew about its employees, even when it involved students in their care. -
The county-led program, in place since 2019, has contributed to fewer jail bookings for participants, including a steep decline in DUI and traffic charges. -
Jon Albee is running unopposed to replace Sheriff Matt Lane, who is retiring. The Sheriff's Office runs the county jail, which draws heavily from a shared sales tax agreement. -
To create enough adequate space for continued growth would take "tens of millions of dollars," according to city staff who operate the only public ice rink the Twin Cities. The space crunch has meant getting creative with less-than-ideal facilities, but that's not kept people from coming. -
An air quality alert is in effect Monday for a second straight day in Bloomington-Normal and most of Illinois, as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into the U.S. The air quality locally was deemed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. -
Central Illinois photographer and filmmaker Jason Lindsey compiled images of American flags around the country beginning about 15 years ago. The country's semiquincentennial provided inspiration to present them as a way to urge reflection on America's promises.
