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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Iowa's 3rd District U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn says he would not support an "endless war" in Iran, but backs U.S. objectives in the war. The Republican also touted his support for a bipartisan immigration reform bill at an event hosted by MAGA Nation. -
Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan visited Iowa Tuesday to rally support for Democratic candidates ahead of the midterms. She also met with Republican voters and urged Iowans to “nurse the country back to health.” -
A bill moving through the Statehouse could limit which countries Iowa colleges can hire foreign professionals from. Supporters say the bill will enhance national security, while critics say it could hurt the competitiveness of higher education institutions in Iowa and open them up to lawsuits. -
State lawmakers faced their second major deadline of the legislative session this week to narrow down the bills under consideration at the Iowa Capitol. -
Iowa House lawmakers voted to designate the plant-based substance kratom and its synthetic equivalents as a Schedule I controlled substance, which would make possessing the substance illegal.
