More McLean County defendants are using ChatGPT as their lawyers. It's not going great

A pair of McLean County judges said they’ve noticed an uptick in self-representation as the state gears up to implement sweeping changes to the public defense system. Artificial intelligence is also making its way into their courtrooms as litigants seek help from tools like ChatGPT.

The pendulum of history swings 'toward a more perfect union' in lecture at Eureka College

Starting out as a brand-new country, the United States laid out what the people desired in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Barry McNealy is well aware of these principles. As part of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, he’s visiting Eureka College on March 27 to deliver his lecture, Towar…

Options for Unit 5 enrollment adjustment largely unchanged at marathon school board meeting

Independent consultants are sticking with two proposals to consider for the Unit 5 enrollment study. The two options were presented Wednesday at a marathon Unit 5 school board to move forward with the districtwide enrollment study. The options were largely unchanged from how they were presented in …

Central Illinois lawmaker joins calls to reform the Pretrial Fairness Act when it comes to domestic violence

A Republican state lawmaker has joined Central Illinois law enforcement in calling for changes to the state's landmark criminal justice reform bill called the SAFE-T Act, but Democrats want to wait for more data before making a decision.

Community forum discusses recent justice system changes in Illinois

A trio of experts discussed changemaking pieces of legislation at a community event Tuesday at Heartland Community College. The forum held by the League of Women Voters of McLean County profiled new laws aimed at transforming Illinois' criminal justice system.

New traffic signal technology could lower Normal Fire response times

The union representing firefighters in the Town of Normal has wrapped up its series of community education forums about a study that calls for expanded services and a bigger fire department. What happens now in the effort to add to the fire service in the town?

McLean County could seek reimbursement from clerk's office for budget overruns

The McLean County Board could decide to claw back more than $400,000 in budget overruns from County Clerk Kathy Michael's office. Last week, McLean County Board Executive Committee members took County Clerk Michael to task for going over her budget last fiscal year.

Historian to debunk myths of the American west in ISU talk

There are many myths about the American west. There’s the myth of bringing order out of a savage wasteland. The myth of the noble Caucasian cowboy. The myth of rugged individualists who wrested a living from the earth without help from anyone else. And the myth of women without agency who deferred …

Meet the Newsroom: Ben Howell

You know the voices, and you know the stories. But behind every story on WGLT is a person who calls this community home just like you do. The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with graduate assistant Ben Howe…

Recent closures leaves families on a 'Hunger Games'-style search for child care

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. WGLT's Lauren Warnecke reports.