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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In a visit to Iowa, President Trump rallied Republican support ahead of the midterms and tried to appeal to voters with provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill and by asserting his support for ethanol industry priorities. -
A group of Black Iowa lawmakers is expanding their legislative caucus to also include other racial minorities. -
Former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he was a citizen on employment forms and possessing firearms without legal status. -
Iowa students could soon enroll in bachelor's degree programs at community colleges under a proposal advanced by a House subcommittee. -
In his first speech to lawmakers after an attack that killed two Iowa Guard members last month, Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and highlighted the Guard's new facilities under construction around the state.
