Bouquets and Brickbats: Pooch ‘rescuers’ in the doghouse

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• Bouquets and Brickbats: Don’t delay library for Templeton

  Bouquets and Brickbats: Don’t delay library for Templeton

  We’re circulating a book bag of bouquets to volunteers in Templeton who have raised $1 million to build a new library. Templeton has been without a permanent library since the 1970s, so this campaign is a huge boon to the community.

  But check this out: The project could be dealt a major setback if construction doesn’t begin by April. That’s because a minor-use building permit from the county is set to expire then. The project has been granted the maximum number of permit extensions, so the Templeton Community Library Association will have to file for a new permit if it doesn’t meet the deadline.

  Ideally, the library association will be able to raise the $427,000 it needs to start construction by April. If not, we would urge the county to either make an exception for a worthy, nonprofit project and grant another extension, or expedite the granting of a new permit.

• Editorial: Cuesta at last narrows the field

  Editorial: Cuesta at last narrows the field

  We toss Cuesta College a wilted bouquet for finally closing in on selection of a permanent president, nearly two years after David Pelham resigned.

  Under ordinary circumstances, the time lag might not be a big deal, especially because the college has been under the experienced leadership of interim President Gil Stork. However, Cuesta’s accreditation has been on the line, in part because the accreditation committee found it did not move quickly enough to fill vacancies and interim positions in administration.

  While Cuesta still doesn’t have a permanent president at the helm, at least it’s narrowed the field to three finalists — including Stork — who were introduced Tuesday at a public forum.

• Give this Los Osos dog owner her due

  Give this Los Osos dog owner her due

  Norman’s a squirt of a pooch. Long of body and standing no taller than shin-high, his genetics may include dachshund, terrier and Chihuahua.

  His owner, Patti Toews of Los Osos, picked him out of all the other deservingly adoptable animals at the pound about a year and a half ago “because he was the ugliest guy there.” Fair enough. But for those who know Norman, he’s as sweet and personable — if not a little shy — as he is homely.

  I bring Norman to light with regard to an incident that occurred on Jan.7 while Patti was taking Norman for a walk on a trail in the Highland area of Los Osos.

• Bouquets and Brickbats: All eyes on Paso’s rogue capybara

  Bouquets and Brickbats: All eyes on Paso’s rogue capybara

  Who knew? Here we thought our beaches, our vineyards, our ranking as the happiest place on Earth were among our biggest assets. Then a giant, ugly-beautiful rodent wanders in and hogs the limelight.

  All it took were a few grainy cell-phone photos posted online, and the capybara sighted at the Paso Robles sewage treatment plant last month became an overnight celeb, inspiring enough blogs, news articles and TV spots to rival a Kardashian.

  He (she?) made the Huff Post, the L.A. Times, The Christian Science Monitor — which questioned whether a swim in Paso’s sewer might be affecting the capybara’s health — The Telegraph out of the U.K. and of course, the front page of Thursday’s Tribune, to name but a few.

• How to ease your dog into married life

  How to ease your dog into married life

  The wedding and honeymoon are over, and now the real work begins. The American Kennel Club wants to remind pet owners that it's not just about working on a healthy marriage, but also about helping your dog adjust to the combination of two households.