The Barton Hospice Thrift Store in Minden closed Thursday.

The Highway 395 store was not profitable.

The store in South Lake Tahoe remains open.

A final sale will be April 17 from 8am-5pm. One standard grocery bag filled to the brim will cost $2.50. There is a limit of five bags per person. All proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life.”

People who donated items to the Hospice Thrift Store may donate to FISH (Friends in Service Helping) at 1231 Service Drive in Gardnerville; Advocates Thrift Store at 411 Hot Springs Road in Carson City; or Helping Hands Thrift Store at 1418 Industrial Way in Gardnerville.

The 4,200-square-foot building will remain office space for Valley Home Health & Hospice personnel, plus consolidated storage space.

The wonders of Yosemite National Park are just the starting point of National Geographic’s newest online Geotourism MapGuide, the latest in digital mapping loaded with interactive features for fun and custom trip planning.

To be unveiled today, the map moves far beyond the famous park’s borders to highlight the region’s unsung treasures, celebrating the world-class natural and cultural heritage of the entire area.

The MapGuide to the Yosemite Gateway, at www.SierraNevadaGeotourism.org, is the first of four regions to be highlighted within the enormous Sierra Nevada. The Yosemite Gateway map shares locals’ secrets of one-of-a-kind coffee houses in historic buildings, spectacular drives without the crowds, deserted mining towns, even details on the upcoming Mariposa Butterfly Festival. More than 800 map point nominations were received from the region’s residents, making the MapGuide a unique resource for the millions of annual visitors as well as for locals seeking unspoiled outdoor places and authentic cultural experiences.

The MapGuide will be unveiled April 8 at the iconic Yosemite Lodge, following a meeting of the Yosemite Gateway partners. Sponsoring the map are the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Sierra Business Council in conjunction with National Geographic. The MapGuide also received funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s Scenic Byways Program and the Morgan Family Foundation.

“The entire world has heard of Yosemite, and rightly so. However, the magic of this MapGuide is that it includes the surrounding Sierra Nevada, a region that deserves to become a household name, too,” James Dion, associate director of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, said in a press release. “Our commitment is to preserving the enormous scenic and cultural assets of both.”

For the purpose of this project, the Sierra Nevada is sectioned into four phase areas. The MapGuide website reflects the completion of the first phase in the Yosemite Gateway area and the transition into sequential phase areas. This summer the project will solicit nominations from the Tahoe Emigrant Corridor, which includes the counties of Placer, Nevada, El Dorado, Washoe, Douglas and Carson. The final two MapGuides will guide visitors through the northern and southern Sierra regions.

“The breadth of the beauty in the Sierra Nevada is unique. Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks are incredible jewels in this 400-mile-long region,” Steven Frisch, president of the Sierra Business Council, said in a statement. “The Sierra Nevada Geotourism Project is the perfect synthesis of economic outreach to culturally rich communities and respect for the planet.”

National Geographic defines geotourism as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.”

Kahurangi — Maori Dance Theater of New Zealand performs April 30 at MontBleu Casino in Stateline. Doors open at 6:30; performance at 7pm.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors.

For information, call Tahoe Arts Project at (530) 542.3632.

By Bill O’Driscoll, Reno Gazette-Journal

The streak is over. It wasn’t much, but after 31 months of declining gaming revenues, Washoe County reversed course in February.

The Gaming Control Board’s February report today showed a small 2.73 percent rise from February 2009 across the region.

Statewide, gaming revenues improved 13.9 percent on the strength of a 32.9 percent spike on the Las Vegas Strip, which by itself generates more than one-half of the entire state total.

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CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, is hosting its fourth annual South Lake Tahoe fundraiser on May 1 at 7pm at the Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery called, An Evening of Opulence.

Cuisine is by The Cork & More, desserts by Katie Cakes, wines by Madrona Vineyards, FOLIO Wine Partners and Crystal Basin Cellars.

This gala will offer an evening of live entertainment, fine art, plus a live and silent auction led by George Alm.

Tickets are $75 a person, with all of the proceeds going to support local children.

CASA El Dorado, a nonprofit organization, recruits, trains, and matches volunteer advocates with children that are part of the court system as a result of abuse or neglect. CASA volunteers are appointed directly by a judge and attend each court hearing, advocating for the best interests of the child.

CASA is a national organization serving in counties throughout the United States.

CASA El Dorado has served more than 400 children in the last 12 months, speaking up as a voice for children in court and in life.

Call Laurie at (530) 622-9882 for tickets.

It’s another bluebird day in Lake Tahoe. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Bert’s Spaghetti Night, a benefit for Tahoe Arts Project is April 22 from 5:30-7:30pm

Bert’s Cafe is at 1146 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe.

Cost is $10 per person.

Call Tahoe Arts Project for tickets — (530) 542.3632.

Kahurangi — Maori Dance Theater of New Zealand performs April 30 at MontBleu Casino in Stateline. Doors open at 6:30; performance at 7pm.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors.

For information, call Tahoe Arts Project at (530) 542.3632.

By Kathryn Reed

Along familiar lines, it was a 3-2 vote by the South Lake Tahoe City Council to pick the firm to handle the search for the next city manager.

With Dave Jinkens calling it quits when his contract expires in August, the council needs someone to replace him. The group had previously agreed to spend no more than $15,000 to hire a headhunter to whittle the applicants to a manageable pool.

Two firms made presentations Tuesday, with Bob Murray & Associates wining out over Peckham/McKenney.

Councilmen Jerry Birdwell and Bill Crawford cast the dissenting votes.

“I don’t think we interviewed enough people. I didn’t see the necessity to rush in (to a contract),” Birdwell said.

He would have preferred having time to digest what the candidates said instead of making a decision on the spot.

Crawford is less than thrilled with the job Murray has done in the past. Murray brought Jinkens and former City Manager Dave Childs to the forefront for consideration.

“Murray is too slick,” Crawford said.

During his presentation Murray said he would try to meet that day’s deadline for the May issue of “Western Cities” trade publication to get an ad out for the city manager job.

Crawford questions the need to have someone else do it when the city handled the ad in the same publication when it sought two city attorneys without the assistance of a headhunter.

Murray said it’s possible the council could be interviewing candidates in 90 days, with someone seated a month later.

By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

Long before it opened Red Hawk Casino, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians ran a small gambling hall in a tent-like structure off Highway 50.

The tribe’s Crystal Mountain Casino operated just briefly and intermittently – but generated a $107 million lawsuit that continues to hound the Miwoks. Last week the California Supreme Court refused the tribe’s appeal to dismiss the suit, and the case could go to trial this fall.

The suit was filed by Sharp Image Gaming, a Southern California supplier of gambling devices and the Miwoks’ partner in the tent casino. The company argues that the tribe broke its contract with Sharp Image by teaming up with Lakes Entertainment Inc., the Minnesota casino-management firm that opened Red Hawk in late 2008.

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