For a $20 dollar annual membership you can get member-exclusive discounts and promotions at participating oldtown Salinas businesses.

Club members get an Oldtown Salinas key-chain identifying them as a member and also an exclusive newsletter with other savings.

You can sign up for the program at the following Oldtown Salinas merchant locations: Aquablue Spa, Coast-Tel Federal Credit Union, Rabobank and TCBY Beriyo.

For more information go to:

http://www.oldtownsalinas.com/I_Shop_Oldtown.asp

(AP) - A Monterey County official is recommending that the county scrap a planned renovation of its Salinas courthouse complex because of rising costs.

The county encountered problems while renovating the complex's north wing in 2005, when asbestos was accidentally released during demolition. Last month, Nova Partners Inc. agreed to an undisclosed settlement with people exposed to the potentially cancer-causing material.

And on Tuesday, the county's Board of Supervisors approved spending an extra $9 million to complete the north wing project, now totaling nearly $72 million.

The costs overruns prompted Public Works Director Yazdan Emrani to urge the county to abandon plans to renovate the east and west wings. Emrani instead recommends closing down those parts of the complex and purchasing a new building nearby.

Local businesses will soon be getting a big tax break on their California income taxes.

As of November 30, the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone has issued a total of 121 Hiring Credit Vouchers to local businesses.  These vouchers are worth tax credits valued at up to a total of over $1 million during the first year.  Businesses located within the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone may apply for Hiring Credits every time they hire a new employee.  If the employee meets certain qualifying criteria, the employer can receive California tax credits equal to 50% of the employee’s salary during the first year of employment.

However, the tax incentives don’t stop there.  If the employer retains the employee, they receive tax credits equal to 40% of the employee’s salary during the second year of employment, 30% during the third year, 20% during the fourth year, and 10% during the fifth year.  This means that the first-year benefit represents only abou