Officials with the Atlantic High School have announced the District is excited to be joining more than 100 schools, in implementing the nationally recognized AOPA STEM (Aviation Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) program in the 2019-2020 school year. Approximately 20 students will be participating in the curriculum which will be taught by Mrs. Staashelm. The program course features two Career and Technical Education pathways: Pilot, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones).

All curriculum materials are provided to schools at no cost, thanks to generous donations made to the AOPA (The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Foundation. The organization has representatives based in Frederick, MD, Washington, D-C, and seven regions across the U-S.  According to a 2018 Boeing study, there is a growing demand for qualified people to fill aviation industry jobs. Globally, 635,000 commercial aircraft pilots, 622,000 technicians and 858,000 cabin crew members are needed within the next 20 years.

Schools nationwide will be implementing the ninth- and tenth-grade curriculum in the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, 25 schools will be testing the 11th-grade curriculum. AOPA will release subsequent courses each year until curriculum is completed for grades 9-through 12. To learn more about AOPA’s high school aviation STEM curriculum, go to https://youcanfly.aopa.org/

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans who are searching for that special someone through an online dating service are being warned about Valentine’s Day scammers. Bess Ellenson, at the Better Business Bureau, says e-daters need to use caution, especially if the person you’re chatting with starts to mention a crisis in their life that requires some kind of financial help. Ellenson says, “People fall for it because they believe this person actually exists, and either after a payment is made, or a couple of payments are made, the person usually tends to disappear.”

Ellenson says there are other red flags you should watch for if you’re trying to find love online. “If the person is really trying to move too fast, or just suddenly gets off the site, they’ll still communicate with you, but they just no longer have an online profile,” Ellenson says. “They like to talk about trust. That’s usually the first step in getting them to give them money.”

Other possible warning signs include profile photos that look too manicured or if the person keeps finding ways to put off meeting face-to-face.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines suburb of Clive plans to buy and demolish two dozen homes and businesses that have been repeatedly damaged by flooding. The estimated cost for all the properties is $11.3 million. They’re all situated in the Walnut Creek flood plain, which has been inundated six times since 1986. The latest flooding occurred June 30 , during which Clive Library and Clive Aquatic Center also were damaged.

Clive community development Doug Ollendike told The Des Moines Register the city will acquire the property over several years, using a priority list based on the risks to life and on damage severity. The city is offering 110 percent of each property’s assessed value. Projected prices range from $85,250 for a small office building to $7 million for property occupied by a vending machine supply company.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A software company wants more than $2.5 million in state aid to expand in Ames. Station KCCI reports that the Ames City Council voted Tuesday to endorse the aid application by Vertex Software, which says the expansion could bring 300 new jobs to the area. Many of the jobs would pay more than $100,000 a year. The company says it’s developed a cloud-based software product that lets users securely share 3D product data to any computing device.

Founder and CEO Dan Murray wants to build a 60,000-square-foot building in Iowa State University’s research park. Ames finance director Duane Pitcher says it’s “a good news story for Ames, a homegrown company.”