Cesar Toscano
Statehouse internCesar Toscano was a Statehouse reporting intern for WGLT and WCBU in 2025.
Cesar graduated from Columbia Chicago with a B.A. in creative writing and found love for journalism during his last year of college editing for the Columbia Chronicle. He is studying in the Public Affairs Reporting program at University of Illinois Springfield. His work has been published at the Columbia Chronicle, South Side Weekly, and the Illinois Times.
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Many new lawmakers come to government with big dreams but often find they have little power. This is how several first-time Central Illinois lawmakers learned how to enact change in their own ways. -
Mifepristone, a drug used in medical abortion, has come under threat by the Trump administration in recent months. The widely used abortion bill is still legal. It survived a court challenge last year, but state Rep. Dagmara Avelar said she is concerned that reproductive health care remains under attack. -
Illinois GOP lawmakers from Central Illinois held a townhall meeting this week following the end of the Spring session. The town hall took place online on Sen. Sally Turner’s Facebook page. Turner was accompanied by Rep. Bill Hauter and Rep. Regan Deering, who both represent parts of McLean County. -
Illinois lawmakers filed more than 7,500 bills this spring session, and 615 of them crossed the finish line. While most bills failed to escape legislative committees, there were some that got close to becoming reality. -
In the days following the end of the session, Illinois State Senator Dave Koehler of Peoria looked back at the tense spring session. -
Public school educators got some of what they wanted in the new state budget, but McLean County superintendents say there are still some issues left unresolved — such as transportation costs. -
Central Illinois lawmakers had predictably partisan reactions to the official state budget for the next fiscal year. The budget includes $55.2 billion in spending, a 3.9% increase. Revenue estimates total $55.3 billion, with $1 billion in new taxes on nicotine products, sports betting, and businesses. -
The Illinois Senate has passed a pair of bills that are intended to lower prescription drug costs for patients and maintain their access to the medications. -
Central Illinois advocates for older adults are lobbying Congress to protect federally-funded programs they say are under threat. -
The Illinois House on Tuesday voted to ban carbon capture near the Mahomet Aquifer in a 91-19 vote. It's already passed the Senate and now goes to the governor.
