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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State lawmakers faced their second major legislative deadline this week to narrow down the bills under consideration at the Iowa Capitol. Here's what advanced and what didn't. -
After years of not taking up a pipeline bill, Iowa Senators rewrote a House bill aimed at restricting CO2 pipelines and bolstering rights for landowners. Opponents of the new version worry lawmakers are pulling a "fast one." -
Iowa House Republicans advanced a proposal Wednesday that would restrict SNAP users to only using benefits for "healthy foods and beverages." The Department of Health and Human Services would have to request federal approval to override the list of current eligible items. -
Iowa House Republicans advanced bills Tuesday establishing uniform educational requirements at the state’s public universities and protecting universities from being penalized by accreditors for following state law. Proposals for capping in-state tuition and establishing tuition guarantee were also removed from a bill known as the "College Affordability Act." -
The Iowa House advanced two proposals Tuesday targeting diversity, equity and inclusion in state agencies and higher education amidst pushback from Iowa House Democrats.
