Isabella Luu
Central Iowa ReporterExpertise: Reporting writing and producing stories about communities across Des Moines and Central Iowa, all with an ear to help IPR listeners and readers understand their communities and the central portion of the state.
Education: Bachelors degree from the University of Georgia
Favorite Iowa Destination: Maquoketa Caves
Experience:
- Covered local and regional issues as part of WUGA's flagship news show Athens News Matters, for KCUR in Kansas City, for NPR, and for IPR
- Has covered homelessness policy and issues in Des Moines, Iowa's Third District congressional seat and other state races, and the compatibility of solar and crop production
- Has reported and written features across many topics, including a three-part series on Asian-American experiences in northeast Georgia, community organizers' efforts to rename Kansas City's historic Troost Avenue and a non-narrated feature highlighting an iconic Kansas City restaurant
My Favorite Stories
-
Under the new bans, people who do not leave or remove their campsites can be arrested, charged with a simple misdemeanor and fined $15. -
Backed by the Department of Energy, Iowa State University researchers are studying how farming the land around solar panels can diversify farm income, boost biodiversity and improve worker safety. -
YSS, a youth social services provider in Iowa, is opening the Ember Recovery Campus with a residential addiction treatment program, crisis stabilization and crisis recovery services. -
DMACC is ending a food forest and urban prairie program that harvested fresh produce and rescued food waste around Des Moines, citing funding issues, aesthetic concerns and irrelevance to academic programs. -
The council approved a ban on camping and sleeping on public property that targets people who are unhoused. Opponents of the plan at the crowded meeting booed the decision.
My Latest Stories
-
Polls have closed across Iowa. See who voters picked to represent their party in November’s general election. -
At the first reading of a proposed data zoning ordinance, residents of Palo and nearby communities raised concerns over the negative impacts future data centers could have on water and traffic, as well as light and noise pollution. Many people asked for the city to tighten regulations, while several others asked the city to table the ordinance completely. -
Ian Roberts admitted that he falsely claimed citizenship when he was hired by Des Moines Public Schools. He faces deportation to his native Guyana after he serves his sentence. -
Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is being challenged in the primary election by self-proclaimed "MAGA" Republican David Pautsch for the second time. Democrat Christina Bohannan is running against political newcomer Travis Terrell in the Democratic primary. -
The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital will receive up to $3 million for pediatric cancer research annually, under a bill signed into law Tuesday.
