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ST PAUL, Minn. The St. Paul school board has extended the contract of Superintendent Valeria Silva for three years. Her new contract will take effect when her current deal expires in December.

With a 2 percent raise and a possible 1 percent performance bonus, she’ll make about $193,000 a year.

Silva can get similar pay hikes in following years, along with an $11,000 annual longevity payment for having worked for the district for more than two decades.

School Board Chairwoman Jean O’Connell praised Silva’s performance.

“We feel that she’s done really solid work in communications, strategic planning, leadership of the team, instructional leadership.

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For an example of how green energy works, racing fans need look no farther than Bristol Motor Speedway, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday.

“When folks go to see those NASCAR races, they need to know what’s fueling those cars as they go around the track is ethanol,” said Vilsack, who is out spreading a message this week about energy issues.

In an interview Tuesday, he said he was reaching out to smaller newspapers to share points he believes larger media outlets have missed.

“They may appreciate the fact that we have a biofuel industry, but they may not realize it’s saving about $1 per gallon of gas,” he said.

Both on the rise

While fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks are improving, he said, the Obama administration is also working to improve the energy efficiency of appliances and of commercial and residential buildings.

At the same time, said Vilsack, the production of fossil fuels is on the rise under an “all of the above” energy policy.

“People might be surprised to learn that we’re actually producing more oil and gas in the United States today than we were eight years ago,” he said. “We’ve actually i

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Patrick Foss is a typical high school student. He plays soccer, has friends, and hopes to attend the University of Virginia after he graduates from high school. However, there is one difference between Foss and his neighbor, another young athlete who plays for his high schools basketball team: Foss cant play for a high school team because he is home-schooled.

My parents pay the same exact taxes as my next-door neighbor who plays varsity sports, Foss said. I just want to be part of the community. You shouldnt have to pick between athletics and academics.

Foss says he would like to try out for the kicker position on Freedom High Schools football team.

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“I am so proud of this company and the overwhelming dedication of our team members to their local community.” Tom Wallace, CEO of VectorLearning

VectorLearning, comprised of design and construction eLearning leader RedVector and Care2Learn, the definitive online continuing education provider for the post-acute care industry, takes its core values seriously. Two of those—Integrity and Teamwork—were in abundance on February 9, when nearly half of the company’s team members showed up to volunteer their time and positive energy at a Habitat for Humanity build in Tampa.

This will mark the sixth consecutive year VectorLearning has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit volunteer-driven cooperative dedicated to providing “safe, decent and affordable shelter” for individuals and families in need.

“I am

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St. Paul, Minn. Retiring University of Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi will leave this June with a record of accomplishments: higher athlete grade point averages, a narrower budget deficit, and a wide array of small sports.

But there are also achievements that have eluded him over the last 10 years: Football or basketball championships — or at least winning programs.

That’s the big job awaiting his successor. And by no means is it the only one.

Maturi’s successor will face a department running an annual deficit of $2 million to $3 million. T

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