National retailers look closely at an area's numbers, especially population, before making the decision to open a store. As Bellingham gets closer to a population of 100,000, more retailers will consider Bellingham as a good market to enter.

There are a lot of other businesses tied to construction, such as title companies, insurance companies and architects. So a slowdown in construction would have an impact on the overall economy.

In 2005 it seemed the local economy was growing at an unusually overheated pace. As interest rates continue to rise, I would expect things to slow down a little. Even if there is a slowdown, there are so many things already on the boards, especially in construction, that it shouldn't be a big slowdown.

This is a common decision among cities that reach a certain size population.

It's better for the wolf population as a whole to take care of some of the bad wolves in a given population.

There is no question that it is a distinct population.