America’s first Hmong anchorman is saying goodbye to his seat on Local 5’s “Good Morning Iowa.” Chenue Her, a St. Paul, Minnesota native, is wrapping up three years in Iowa on Aug. 30.

Why is Chenue Her leaving ‘Good Morning Iowa’?

Her said his decision to leave Local 5 was not one he took lightly.

“My station, my news director, they were very patient with me as I went back and forth, just deciding what I wanted to do next,” Her said.

At the end of the day, Her said he decided to pursue other TV news opportunities.

More: New anchor joins WOI’s ‘Good Morning Iowa’ this week

Iowa was an experience unlike anything other, for first Hmong anchorman

Her said his experience in Iowa has been unlike anything he’s experienced. From the kindness he’s received from strangers to the impactful stories he’s been able to tell. His favorite stories to cover have been those following the AAPI refugee and immigrant community, he said.

“Outside of stories, just being able to work alongside some people that have really taught me a lot about Iowa and what Iowans are all about,” Her said. “It’s been great. I’ve been really just blessed in that sense.”

Chenue Her’s departure is the latest staff change at Local 5’s ‘Good Morning Iowa’

Her will depart just two weeks after a new co-anchor, Joseph Holloway, joined the show. His previous co-anchor, Samantha Mesa, left the station in May. The show’s meteorologist, Brandon Lawrence, left in March and joined DART as a communications specialist.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – More security fences have been set up around the Democratic National Convention due to some pro-Palestine protestors breaking through a fence as the DNC kicked off Monday.

Tuesday night, a protest is planned outside of the Israeli Consulate in Chicago.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart says the protests walked right past their hotel.

Amid flaring tensions in Chicago outside of the DNC, Hart says the only way the party will get to a better place is if they keep the conversation going. “We are a big tent party. That we are willing to take on the tough issues and we’re willing to talk to people who don’t always agree with us within our own party and from the other side,” she said.

State Senator Janice Weiner of Iowa City says there’s room in the party for a discussion. “We’re also not like single issue people. We are capable than holding more than one idea, one thought, one disagreement in our heads,” she said.

Weiner says the path to a solution to the divisions in the party is to keep the conversation going. “We deal with that by both by acknowledging it, by welcoming everyone in, by having the tough conversations, and by understanding that we’re not going to solve everything right now,” Weiner said.

Cornell College Political Science Professor Megan Goldberg says these protests might work. “There’s a lot of evidence that protests can be effective ways of pushing a candidate further along sort of the your policy continuum towards what you want,” she said.

Goldberg says the Democratic Party hasn’t been subject to many protests recently. In recent years, we’ve seen protests by Democrats against former President Donald Trump, but not by Democrats protesting their own party. She says that this might present a challenge for the Democratic party on how to navigate these protests.

Goldberg adds that at some point, Harris will likely have to confront the issue directly.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

Iowa defensive coordinator reluctant to name starting cornerbacks with more than a week before start of 2024 season

IOWA CITY — Phil Parker has a “good idea” of who his starting cornerbacks will be in 2024.

But with 11 days to go until the Hawkeyes’ season opener, the Iowa defensive coordinator (and 2023 Broyles Award recipient) was reluctant Tuesday to name who specifically those starters will be.

“I got a list of guys and rank them, but things change every day with us throughout the practice,” Parker said.

Jermari Harris seems to be the likely answer at one of the spots as he approaches his sixth season of college football. He started 12 of Iowa’s 14 games last year, and Parker said he has been “taking a lot” of first-team reps in fall camp.

With another first-team cornerback spot up for grabs, the Hawkeyes’ options include T.J. Hall, John Nestor and Deshaun Lee.

Parker has been “seeing T.J. Hall grow and improve his standard of play.” Nestor is “really doing a good job, very competitive out there.” Lee, meanwhile, is “doing a heck of a job.”

“It’s really interesting to see those four over there,” Parker said. “One day, one guy might have a better day than the other guy. It’s depending on what day and what the point of attack, how productive are they?”

Lee started six games in 2023 — first in place of Harris during his two-game suspension and later in place of Cooper DeJean after his injury. Hall primarily played on special teams in six games before suffering an injury. Nestor played 10 games as a true freshman, also with the bulk of those snaps happening on special teams.

Iowa has not always been keen on rotating defensive backs. Iowa’s Week 6 win over Purdue last year, for example, featured only five players who took snaps in the secondary, according to Pro Football Focus’ snap counts. But its current depth at cornerback could create some options there.

“You can see maybe playing more guys in the back end, if you have to,” Parker said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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