Derek Cantù
Derek Cantù is NPR Illinois' graduate student Public Affairs Reporting intern for the spring 2021 legislative session.
Derek earned a B.S. in History and Secondary Education from Bradley University and an M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction from Kansas State University.
Derek has previous experience
-
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed Illinois' new budget into law after lawmakers approved changes fixing massive drafting errors that would've left the state without the authority to spend money until next June. -
The Illinois State Board of Education is weighing whether to replace the state’s annual Illinois Assessment of Readiness standardized test for grades 3 through 8 with three separate tests spread out in a school year. But teacher unions and education advocacy groups claim the proposed change would amount to more class time being dedicated to test preparation. -
Illinois lawmakers want to replace a small, weathered statue of Martin Luther King Jr. across the street from the State Capitol building in Springfield and put a new one in a more prominent area. -
Illinoisans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear face masks in most circumstances, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday. Pritzker’s... -
Illinois is launching a $1.5 billion federally funded housing assistance program for Illinoisians hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Illinois has reduced its bill backlog to just under $4 billion — a far cry from the nearly $17 billion high seen just after the state’s two-year budget... -
More than half of Illinois’ largest cities have severely underfunded pension funds, according to a new report from libertarian-leaning group Wirepoints. -
Black and Brown Illinoisans in long-term care facilities died of COVID-19 at comparatively higher rates compared to white Illinoisans in the first few... -
Americans have responded to drug addiction in a number of different ways in recent decades. The War on Drugs of the 1980s and 90s spawned mass... -
A number of universities in Illinois didn't require standardized test scores when students applied for the upcoming fall semester, given the disruption…
