Lucia Cheng
Lucia Cheng was IPR's 2024 — 2025 News Fellow. Cheng has experience reporting, producing and photographing stories from the Des Moines metro area. She's reported on food insecurity, homelessness and business and economy news, as well as COVID-19, Title IX issues and features for IPR and other news publications. Cheng has a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College.
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Des Moines voters overwhelmingly passed a $265 million bond measure, while Cedar Rapids' school bond failed again to find enough support from voters. -
Hundreds of low-income families will need to choose between working or taking care of their kids because two federally funded child care programs are about to run out of money. As the federal shutdown starts affecting social services, families also have to consider the impending loss of SNAP benefits. -
Some homelessness prevention programs might run out of funding before the federal government can disperse grants. One nonprofit director in Iowa said she’s concerned about the funding landscape for next year. -
Des Moines tightens city camping ban, removing some protections for people experiencing homelessnessThis week, Des Moines City Council members voted for stricter enforcement of the city’s camping ban. People experiencing homelessness can now be charged with a misdemeanor and fined even if shelters are full. -
Questions at recent public meetings ranged from transportation schedules to how school funding streams work. But most of all, parents wanted to know how the changes would affect their own kids. -
Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested and detained Friday after fleeing ICE agents during a traffic stop in Des Moines. The school board voted Saturday to put him on administrative leave. Since his arrest, community members have rallied across the state to show their support for Roberts. -
A new community land trust aims to help more low-income families become homeowners by providing affordable housing options in the Des Moines metro. The Central Iowa Community Land Trust will be the state's only one of its kind. -
Staff members at Lutheran Services in Iowa were concerned that refugees would become homeless after federal funding cuts. But community donations filled the gap. -
Kat Schmidt from Des Moines was named Grand Champion of the 2025 Fiddling Competition Sunday at the Iowa State Fair. -
The U.S. Department of Education revised a policy where adults without legal status cannot take part in programs supported by federal funding. Those programs now includes career and technical training or classes for a high school diploma.
