Richmond Times-Dispatch President and Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri has been elected chairman of the American Press Institute. The institute, based in Reston, is a nonprofit, independent education center that provides training and leadership development in the news industry. It offers seminars, workshops and custom programs for newspaper professionals and organizations.

The house wasn’t historic or in any way unusual—just a plain brick and vinyl rancher like thousands of others built in the 1960s and ‘70s. But rescuing it saved a substantial amount of energy.

After 22 years, Spinnaker’s Restaurant in the Chesterfield Towne Center has closed. The eatery officially shuttered Sunday after an issue with The Macerich Co., the California-based company that owns regional malls. Gregg Gregory, the owner of the local Spinnaker’s, said his lease was supposed to end next month, but the company told him last week that it was time to go.

The State Corporation Commission says Virginia’s goal reducing electricity consumption by 10 percent by lowering demand and improving efficiency is realistic. The General Assembly passed legislation this year requiring the report, which the SCC submitted to the legislature and Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday. Time Warner will spin off Internet business AOL Inc. as a separate company Dec. 9.

Dear PropellerHeads: Sometimes I need to send large files to my co-workers, but my e-mail provider’s limit on attachment size makes this impossible. Can you help? Answer: Of course, we can, but be honest: Is this really work-related or are you just sending home videos of your cat? That’s what YouTube is for. E-mail is for sending people the link to your cat video.

MONDAY, NOV. 16 Greater Richmond Chamber offers “QuickBooks Payroll,“ 11:30 a.m., Hanover Department of Economic Development, 9097 Atlee Station Road, Mechanicsville. Presenter: Kelly Garrett with Kelly Garrett Consulting. Cost: $20. Online registration required. Registration: http://www.grcc.com; Jackie Carter, (804) 783-9314 or .

Most companies have learned that social media can be an innovative marketing and branding tool. Chip Farmer, executive director of RichTech in Richmond, thinks they now want to know the potential risks of integrating social media into the workplace. For example, there’s a need to control bandwidth, he said. Also, there are network and security issues, plus the need to protect intellectual property and employees.

Freshmen can avoid money woes College freshmen, listen up. Get your financial life on track this first semester—or you may wind up making mistakes and paying a heavy price later, warned R.D. Norton, author of “Start Here: Getting Your Financial Life on Track.“ Living away from home with your peers is awesome, isn’t it? But, as a freshman, “there are plenty of things that can get you into trouble,“ Norton said in an interview.

Paul and Diane Manning had no family history of Type 1 diabetes until both of their children developed the disease, but they’re making a historic family contribution to fighting it. The Gordonsville couple donated $5 million to diabetes research at the University of Virginia Health System. “My wife and I have been very fortunate in business. We like giving back,“ Paul Manning said. Their company, PBM Products, produces infant formula. A new venture, Beta-Pro LLC, is a biotechnology firm that provides diabetes researchers with custom cellular and consulting services.

The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods presented its annual Golden Hammer Awards this week for the best renovations in the Richmond area. The awards program, now in its 10th year, drew 33 nominations this year, said David Herring, the alliance’s director.

Mark Smith was named 2009 Retailer of the Year by the Retail Merchants Association yesterday. Smith, who owns four area Midas Auto Service Experts locations, was chosen by a panel of former winners. Smith said yesterday that the award is acknowledgment of the work his employees do. “I know some of the past winners and it mean a lot to me that my guys have been recognized,“ he said.

The MBA program at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business was ranked the 17th best part-time program in country by BusinessWeek. The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business ranked 16th best U.S. full-time MBA program. It had been ranked 15th two years ago. The two program were the only ones in Virginia to be included in the magazine’s recent rankings.

It wasn’t a load for Mitch Kattan. It was an honor. For former members of the American armed forces such as Kattan, their military service gives special meaning to national commemorations like Veterans Day.

Tobacco company Star Scientific Inc. has six months to get its stock price above $1 per share or face possible delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange. The Petersburg-based company said it was notified by Nasdaq officials on Nov. 5 that it was not in compliance with the exchange’s minimum-bid rules because its closing per-share bid price was below $1 for 30 consecutive days.

Rick Mears likes how Core Consulting looks at the decision-making process from all angles when it provides information-technology strategy and advice to its clients. “Core has provided valuable insight into how to achieve our objective of modernizing our enterprise systems while preserving the edge the systems provide for us in our business,“ said Mears, senior vice president and chief information officer at medical and surgical products distributor Owens & Minor Inc.