Magpie Cafe has been so successful for Janel Inouye and Ed Roehr that they now want some elbow room, so sometime this fall – no date is set yet – these partners in life and culinary adventures will be opening up a second space on 14th at O Street.

"It's a natural part of our growth and our interests," Roehr told me. "The space is more of an annex in a lot of ways for Magpie than it is another location. We do a lot of things … here at R Street, and we just are looking forward to keeping what we do interesting and challenging for us in the kitchen and for our guests."

Roehr said diners can expect grab-and-go items that highlight Magpie's baking talent, but he's not ready to talk menu items.

The two Sacramento natives – 39-year-old Inouye attended John F. Kennedy High School; 41-year-old Roehr, Sacramento High – chose a spot at 1425 14th St. for their new venture. It's just a few blocks away from their R Street eatery, on the ground floor of the Department of Education building, across the street from Capitol Park.

What the barking's about

Dr. Ken Schenck traveled to New Jersey, Louisiana, Oregon and points between to check out award-winning veterinary clinics and pet lodging as he was conceiving a new Mueller Pet Medical Center in south Sacramento.

Why not take his time? The banking meltdown in 2008 left the veterinarian without a lender and delayed construction until last year when Bank of the West stepped up, as my predecessor Bob Shallit reported. Including the loan, Schenck said, he's invested upward of $5 million in the medical center. It opened March 29.

The Spanish-style facade of the new facility at 7625 Freeport Blvd. references California's history. Inside, though, it's all modern and state-of-the-art.

Schenck, a product of both Davis High School and the University of California, Davis, greeted me on the cat side of the lobby and took me on a tour of all 27,000 square feet. The medical center includes nine exam rooms, 20 air-conditioning systems, a grooming center, a treatment room with eight work stations, two surgical rooms and an isolation ward. Also under the roof is a pet inn that has three indoor play rooms, four exterior play areas, and separate boarding rooms for dogs and cats.

Schenck paused at luxury dog suites equipped with TV and a Web-enabled camera. "If you're vacationing in Hawaii and at 2 o'clock in the morning, you wake up and think, 'I wanna see Roscoe,' you can tune him in with the camera."

A twofer at News & Review

My former Bee colleague, 42-year-old Rachel Leibrock, will take the reins of the Sacramento News & Review on Sunday as co-editor with 33-year-old Nick Miller.

The alternative weekly paper was searching nationally for a replacement for founding editor Melinda Welsh, who previously announced plans to step down, when Leibrock and Miller approached co-owners Jeff von Kaenel and Deborah Redmond.

"They brought the plan to us," said von Kaenel, the paper's president and chief executive. "... We like to have people think of things and try things out."

Bee readers will recall Leibrock as an arts and pop culture writer who did her homework in the city's many venues. A Sacramento High School graduate, she will share administrative duties with Miller, confer with him on cover stories, and direct arts and culture coverage. Miller, who graduated from Roseville's Oakmont High School, will oversee news coverage.

As unusual as the idea of a co-editorship may sound, Miller and Leibrock found precedent for it in their research: "Mother Jones has two editors," Leibrock said, "and so does the East Bay Express in Oakland."

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