Steppin' Up…Locally hatched eco-home certification program StepUp2Green is gaining momentum:  CHISPA may adopt SU2G as a base standard for its projects, according to program mastermind Michael Waxer. The first 10 homeowners to contact Carmel design and remodeling firm Renovations will receive free SU2G assessments, a $300 value: info@renovations.net or 620-1700. [KA]

Giovane's Closes…Salinas’ well-known restaurant and live music venue won’t be around for 2010. In a Jan. 3 email, proprietors Randy and Sarah Young announced that Giovane’s, which hosted bands from Eek-A-Mouse to Para La Gente, had officially closed. Its presence will be missed by local live music fans. [WR]

Bookstore Blues…B. Dalton, Salinas' last general, corporate bookstore, will close by the end of the month. The closure of the Northridge Mall store is part a national shutdown of 50 low-volume B. Daltons, according to a company spokeswoman. The city has seen an exodus of bookstores in recent years. [ZS]

Drivers Beware…Traffic cops saturated Marina streets Dec. 29, including commute route Imjin Parkway, as part of the Monterey Regional Strategic Traffic Operations and Prevention Program (STOPP). Officers from various law enforcement agencies were on the prowl for traffic violations around Marina thoroughfares and schools, triggering a debate on the Weekly’s website. [ZS]

Farr Funds…On Jan. 5, Rep. Sam Farr announced $700,000 in Central Coast funds for the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program, including $384,153 for Monterey County. The money will be awarded to local nonprofits and government agencies to fight hunger and homelessness. [ZS]

Monning Scores…Central Coast Assemblyman Bill Monning scored A-pluses from Sierra Club California and League of Conservation Voters by voting 100 percent in line with the groups' positions on environmentally significant bills. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't fare so well, with 28 of 100, his lowest LCV score since taking office. [KA]

Mother Murdered…On New Year’s Day, Carmel High alum Nichole "Nikki" Schrock, 24, was shot to death at the Santa Cruz 7-Eleven where she worked. The suspected gunman was her ex-boyfriend, 42-year-old Illya Cavlan of San Jose, who then allegedly killed himself. For info on the Jan. 9 service and donations for Schrock’s 2-year-old daughter, call Jamie: 917-4478. [KA]