Police in Creston say a woman from Ringgold County was arrested Friday afternoon on an Assault charge. 21-year old Cassandra Allen, of Tingley, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a charge of Simple Assault. Allen was subsequently released from the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Iowa News Service) DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa is among 12 states targeted for its panhandling ordinances by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the ACLU. Those organizations and more than a dozen others are demanding Iowa cities repeal laws that prohibit panhandlers from asking people on the street for money. The Iowa chapter identified ordinances in three cities: Council Bluffs, Des Moines and Grimes.

Phillip Brown, legal fellow with the ACLU of Iowa, said such laws essentially criminalize poverty. “These laws make it illegal to ask for help, and they are restrictions on any individual’s free speech rights to go on a sidewalk and say what they would like to,” Brown said. “They are restrictions based on what you are saying and where you are.” The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to eradicating homelessness. More than 240 panhandling ordinances in a dozen states have been targeted.

Brown noted the recent case of Alexis Ostlund, a homeless woman who was told to move along by a police officer as she held a “Free Hugs” sign with a bowl for money outside a coffee shop in Des Moines. He said such reactions typically perpetuate a downward spiral of poverty. “These laws simply aren’t solutions; they don’t solve any problems,” Brown said. “Housing services really are the only solutions to homelessness. It’s actually penalizing people just for needing help and asking for it.”

The ACLU said 25 panhandling ordinances in the U.S. have been struck down as unconstitutional and 31 cities have repealed their ordinances. Brown said he believes the lack of consistency in municipal ordinances has harmful consequences. “Enforcement doesn’t always look the same,” he said. “So some people may be sent to jail, they may be arrested, they may be given fines. But other people may just be asked to move along or told that they can’t do this anymore. And any of those enforcement mechanisms are unconstitutional.”

In Des Moines it’s a misdemeanor to solicit funds without a license, the fine for which is $750.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) — An October sentencing has been scheduled for a northern Iowa man accused of using a belt to spank a 4-year-old child. Hancock County court records say 33-year-old Charles Pennington, of Mason City, pleaded guilty to child endangerment after making a deal with prosecutors. The agreement calls for a five-year prison sentence, but the deal isn’t binding on the judge. The sentencing is set for Oct. 26 in Garner.

A criminal complaint says an investigation began in March after officials were notified about severe bruising on the boy’s buttocks, lower back and upper legs. Other children in the household told Britt police the child was beaten with the belt for “getting in trouble.”

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans are being urged to look around and single out people in their lives who are heroes and nominate them for an award, according to Rachelle Lipker at the American Red Cross. “We are looking for everyday heroes that we know are out there in the community,” Lipker says. “We have different categories for some heroes that we’re looking for.” Those categories include good Samaritans and those who helped during a disaster, people who go above and beyond in their everyday lives. “We’re selecting one winner from Nebraska and one from Iowa,” she says. “They will be presented awards at the Iowa-Nebraska game.”

That football game is scheduled for November 23rd at Iowa City’s Kinnick Stadium. All of us likely know someone who would qualify for the honor. “The lifetime hero is for an individual, just by the way they live, who is inspiring to others,” Lipker says. “We have a public servant award for an individual who is in the line of duty, such as a policeman, fire, military, medical.” Nominations are being taken through September 30th. Winners will receive tickets to the game and be recognized on field. Learn more and nominate someone here: https://www.redcross.org/local/iowa/about-us/news-and-events/events/heroes.html

(Radio Iowa) — The founder of the liberal “Daily Kos”blog says Democrats around the country have been winning in “weird, crazy” conservative places like Alabama and western Pennsylvania, but Markos Moulitsas says the depth of the so-called “blue wave” is still developing. “Can it filter down to places in Iowa where the demographics have historically been trending toward the Republicans? That’s actually one of the big questions of Election Night, of November,” Moulitsas says. “I think that question’s going to be answered by the intensity and the amount of work that people in places like Iowa put towards making those victories happen.”

Moulitsas was the keynote speaker at the 4th annual “Corn Feed” hosted by Progress Iowa yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. During an interview beforehand, Moulitsas cited primary and special election results indicating Democrats are voting at a rate that’s 10 and 12 points higher than turn-out for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Moulitsas says Republican turn-out may be lagging for several reasons, like the trade war. “I’m not seeing a lot of minds changing yet, at least I’m not seeing it in the data — either in Iowa or anywhere else,” he says. “I’m seeing Republicans tuning out because they thought they voted for something that they’re not getting.”

Moulitsas founded Daily Kos as a group blog in 2002. He’s the co-author of “The Resistance Handbook: 45 Ways to Fight Trump”.