DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – As COVID-19 continues to spread in Iowa, the state reported several new records for hospitalizations Monday. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 2,335 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths. As of 10 a.m., there have been 1,991 deaths statewide since the pandemic began. Hospitals are reporting staffing shortages, as many staff are sick or in quarantine.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – As hospitalizations surge, the Iowa Public Health Association is urging Gov. Kim Reynolds to issue a statewide mask mandate. Lina Tucker Reinders, the executive director of the Iow, says “this is a disaster.” Reinders adds the state’s surging hospitalizations should concern every Iowan. Nearly 1,300 Iowans are in the hospital.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A family of three is recovering from injuries after jumping from a window to escape an apartment fire Sunday morning. The 31-year-old mother and her two young children faced a life-or-death situation when a fire broke out in their apartment around 2 a.m. The three jumped out of their third-story window to escape the flames and had to be taken to the hospital because of injuries they sustained in the fall. All three are expected to survive.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque firefighter is suing the city because of alleged sexual harassment on the job. Jami Boss cites a number of incidents, including being told by a lieutenant that she was only hired because she was a girl. Boss said male firefighters used the women’s restroom and sometimes walked in on her while she was in there. In one incident, a coworker allegedly shoved his hand down the back of her pants.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – As new members of the United States Congress gathered in Washington this week for orientation, one Iowa race has yet to be decided — which is why both Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Rita Hart are attending. In Iowa House District 2, Republican Miller-Meeks holds a 47 vote advantage over Democrat Hart. Hart’s campaign has asked for a recount in all 24 counties in that district.