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
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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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Charter school students have more access to classes and services through their home district under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds. -
Vice President JD Vance stopped in Iowa to rally support for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and pitch the GOP as the party that prioritizes working-class values. -
In the final hours of Gov. Kim Reynolds' final legislative session, Republican lawmakers came together around a plan they say will save property taxpayers around $4 billion over six years. -
Under a bill on its way to the governor's desk, prospective foster care parents couldn't be denied licensure due to their sincerely held moral and religious beliefs around gender identity and sexual orientation. Opponents of the bill say it could harm LGBTQ youth in foster care. -
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.
