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 Troose Avenue and a non-narrated feature highlighting an iconic Kansas City restaurant
My Favorite Stories
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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
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The Iowa House advanced a proposal Thursday that would bar cities and local governments from adopting broader civil rights protections than those outlined in the Iowa Civil Rights Act. House lawmakers changed their standalone bill into an amendment to a Senate bill. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds gave final approval Thursday for a 2% funding increase for Iowa's K-12 schools for the next school year. It sets the state cost per student at $8,148, which amounts to an additional $160 in funding per student compared to the current year. -
Republican lawmakers have approved a 2% increase in K-12 funding, sending the bill to the governor for final approval. -
State lawmakers faced their first major deadline of the legislative session this week to narrow down the bills under consideration at the Iowa Capitol. -
An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a proposal Thursday to restrict minors from accessing materials with sexual content in public libraries unless they have parental consent.
