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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Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand outlined his priorities headed into the 2026 legislative session that he said would prevent fraud and strengthen government oversight. One of his top concerns is reversing a 2023 law that limits the authority of the State Auditor's Office. -
Democrat Renee Hardman beat Republican Lucas Loftin by more than 40 percentage points in a special election Tuesday night. Hardman's win makes her the state's first Black female state senator. -
A special election to fill former state Sen. Claire Celsi's seat could help Republicans regain the supermajority they lost in August. Democratic candidate Renee Hardman and Republican candidate Lucas Loftin are running for the vacant seat in Senate District 16. -
The Iowa National Guard released the names of the two soldiers killed in an attack in Syria on Saturday. A U.S. civilian interpreter was also killed in the attack that wounded three other Iowa Guard members. -
Former governor and ambassador Terry Branstad was honored with the state's highest award for citizens on Thursday. Branstad is the country's longest serving governor in U.S. history.
