Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:05 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Court records show an Iowa gun store refused to sell a semi-automatic rifle to a heavily armed and agitated Colorado man who said he was surprised his friends didn’t suspect he was the Boulder mass shooter. Federal agents say Adam Vannoy made the remark Tuesday when he was trying to purchase an AR-style rifle from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Ankeny, Iowa. The store denied the sale and notified federal authorities. Vannoy allegedly said he had 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck. He has been arrested on a federal weapons charge stemming from a March 14 traffic stop in Nebraska, when authorities say he had several firearms, an illegal silencer and marijuana.

ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on Monday to remember the prison nurse and correctional officer killed in a failed escape attempt. She said Saturday in a news release that that the state “grieves the loss” of 50-year-old nurse Lorena Schulte, of Cedar Rapids, and 46-year-old Officer Robert McFarland, of Ely. They were killed Tuesday at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in eastern Iowa. The release said Monday is when both will be laid to rest. Inmates Michael Dutcher, 28, and Thomas Woodard, 39, are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and second-degree kidnapping.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coronavirus data continued to suggest Friday that virus activity is increasing in the state with infections and deaths continuing to rise. Similar trends were noted Friday by the White House COVID-19 Response Team members who expressed concerns about rising cases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says cases and hospital admissions are rising nationally and people should take this moment seriously and continue to wear a mask to avoid another surge. Iowa reported 979 new cases on Friday and 19 additional deaths increasing the state death total to 5,708. The seven-day positivity rate increased to 4.8%.