Lucia Cheng
News FellowExpertise: Reporting, producing and photographing stories affecting the Des Moines metro area, all in order to help IPR listeners and readers better understand, appreciate and explore their state
Education: Bachelors degree from Grinnell College
Favorite Iowa Destination: Saints Rest Coffee and Jay's Deli in Grinnell
Experience:
- Has been a freelance reporter for the Pasadena Star News in California
- Served as a reporter as well as the features editor, and later the news editor, for Grinnell's The Scarlet & Black student newspaper
- Reported and edited stories on COVID-19 and its impact on xenophobia as well as Title IX issues in the Grinnell community
- Received multiple Iowa College Media Association awards as part of The Scarlet & Black
- Participated in the first cohort of NPR’s Next Generation Radio in Iowa, in 2023
- Served as an intern in 2022 for Smithsonian Magazine, covering a Civil Rights icon and Geraldine Mock, the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world alone
- Served as an audio fellow with the Asian American Journalists Association in 2022
My Favorite Stories
-
DMARC food pantries in Des Moines face even more stress on their budget deficit after seeing a record high demand for food assistance this holiday season.
My Latest Stories
-
Over 700 people in Polk County are waiting for help getting into housing as homeless shelters continue to operate at overflow capacity. But finding affordable housing isn’t the only challenge — there’s also the problem of staying housed. -
Federal judge strikes down Iowa’s law banning books depicting sex acts from school libraries — againFor the second time, a federal judge stopped the state from enforcing its book ban, stating that it's unconstitutional. But the ban has not been permanently struck down. -
Minnesota governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz took the stage in Des Moines Friday for his first town hall since he and Kamala Harris lost the presidential election last year. -
Refugee resettlement services are running out of money as they wait for federal reimbursements. The nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa says it has not been reimbursed for $1.5 million owed by the federal government. -
More than 1,000 Black soldiers trained to become officers at Fort Des Moines during WWI. This year, the Iowa Historical Society will honor their service with a commemorative marker.
