DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polls are open for those who are opting for traditional Election Day voting after Iowans cast roughly a million ballots early. Polls opened at about 1,200 polling places at 7 a.m. Tuesday and voting will continue until 9 p.m. The Secretary of State’s Office reports just over 2 million Iowa residents are registered to vote, and about half of them already cast an absentee ballot.

IOWA (IRN) – The number of people being treated for the coronavirus in Iowa hospitals continued to soar Tuesday, prompting hospital officials to warn that their facilities could be overwhelmed without serious efforts to curtail the virus spread. More than half of Iowa’s counties now report a high coronavirus positivity rate as the state has set two more hospitalization records. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 1,516 new positive COVID-19 cases and 22 additional deaths. There have been 1,755 total deaths since the pandemic began.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University alerted students Monday to the second reported sexual assault on campus in two days. It’s not known if the cases are related.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Smoke filled the air and could be seen for miles in West Des Moines Monday as firefighters worked to extinguish flames at a vacant office building. The building was in the beginning stages of demolition and nobody is expected to have been inside when the fire began.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo City Council discussed Monday a proposed housing incentive of $5,000 for future and current city employees. The hope is the incentive would encourage more employees to live within city limits. Employees would qualify by buying and living in a home in Waterloo for at least five years.