In Prince Frederick, some Calvert Countians weren’t thrilled last week at the dubious distinction of being named Maryland’s fastest growing county and one of the 100 most rapidly expanding in America, according to new census figures. Calvert’s population swelled by 18 percent, or nearly 12,000 people, provoking county planners to wonder if they’ve been sufficiently vigorous in managing growth …

In New Jersey, hundreds of whale watchers gathered on the banks of the Delaware River to partake of a rare treat: spotting a beluga whale — which had first visited the St. Lawrence Seaway, gamboling far from its Arctic home. Wildlife exerts say the whale, 12 feet or so in length, appeared healthy and happy, albeit far from home, and dining on shad and herring. Now the travel-loving beluga seems to be swimming for the Atlantic by way of Delaware Bay …

In Pennsylvania, a $625 million bond issue signed by Gov. Ed Rendell last week will appear on the state’s May 17 primary ballot. We Marylanders should root for its passage, given Pennsylvania’s role in polluting Chesapeake Bay. Said Rendell: “Pennsylvania is blessed by the Lord with the natural resources we have been given. … It’s our job to protect those resources.”…

Our Creature Feature comes from the Korean border, where a peculiar gesture — a gift of weasels — may help bridge the deep gulf between long-warring North and South Korea.

Siberian weasels, African ponies and Asiatic bears were among the zoo animals scheduled to be sent from secretive, totalitarian North Korea to South Korea, Reuters reported. In return, South Korea planned to send a menagerie that included hippopotamuses, red kangaroos and guanacos, which are elegant llama-like creatures. The first such exchange between the Koreas was designed to bolster the zoos in both countries.