Impala is a sturdy yet graceful girl who has earned the nickname “Impala Ballerina,” thanks to her impressive hops and joyful enthusiasm for life.

She is full of personality and loves spending time with her people. When Impala gets excited to see her friends, her happiness sometimes comes out in the form of bouncing and jumping. She’ll benefit from continued guidance in channeling that excitement appropriately.

A playful and energetic companion, Impala loves toys and enjoys having positive outlets for her energy. She’s learning that fun can come in many forms, from playtime to training sessions, and she’s eager to stay engaged with her family.

Like many young, enthusiastic dogs, Impala can occasionally be a little mouthy when excited. But she has been making great progress with appropriate redirection and structure.

Impala currently lives with other dogs and thrives on canine companionship. She enjoys having dog friends to play with and learns a great deal from them.

Her social nature and playful spirit make her a wonderful candidate for a home with another compatible dog.

To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at聽.

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While she was quite fearful in the shelter, she has opened up beautifully in her foster home and has learned to love pets and cuddles (and you’ll love petting her 鈥� she’s so soft).

This brave girl is low-key, well-behaved and calm, and would be a great companion for any home where she can balance her solo time and social time.

Ask to meet her today and see for yourself how special Liz is.

To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at聽.

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The excitement continued throughout the show and even afterwards.

The show chronicles and celebrates TLC, the groundbreaking all-female Atlanta group who burst onto the music scene in the early ’90s with R&B and crossover hits like 鈥淣o Scrubs,” 鈥淲aterfalls,鈥� and 鈥淐reep.鈥�

But it wasn鈥檛 just the music that captivated fans, it was the dancing, the fashion and the vibe that influenced and helped define ’90s pop culture. The ensemble is considered to be one of the bestselling American girl groups in history.

The group was a major influence for Destiny鈥檚 Child, Beyonc茅 and Rihanna, and also served as an influence for Lin-Manuel Miranda when he was creating the Broadway smash, “Hamilton.”

One of the characters in CrazySexyCool states TLC 鈥渞edefined womanhood in the 20th century.”

Like other jukebox musicals, CrazySexyCool weaves the story of TLC through song, touching on the ups and downs from the hits to awards, health struggles, misogyny and, of course, the infamous arson incident and shocking death of founding member Lisa 鈥淟eft Eye鈥� Lopes in 2002.

The name of the show comes from the group鈥檚 second studio album, which sold over 10 million copies and earned a Diamond certification 鈥� the first girl group to achieve that plateau.

鈥淭LC” comes from the first letter of each of the three founding members鈥� nicknames: Tionne 鈥淭-Boz鈥� Watkins, Lisa 鈥淟eft Eye鈥� Lopes and Rozonda 鈥淐hilli鈥� Thomas.

The singing, dancing and kinetic energy on stage more than make up for any script imperfections.

One way to judge a musical is whether you are encouraged to sing along during the show and leave the theater singing and humming the tunes. Using that criteria, CrazySexyCool is definitely a show worth experiencing.

The runtime for CrazySexyCool is 2.5 hours and includes one 15-minute intermission. The show will be held at Arena Stage鈥檚 Kreeger Theater through Aug. 9, and tickets can be .

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The good thing is the Humane Rescue Alliance will take care of all her treatments free of charge if you adopt her.

Janica is a 1-year-old beagle mix and weighs 14 pounds.

To know Janica is to love her completely. She鈥檚 a charming, gentle young lady with the softest expression and a heart full of hope. Janica is searching for that kind, patient person who will take her home and show her the good life she truly deserves.

This sweet pup is bashful and needs a quiet, steady household where she can build her confidence at her own pace. Soft words, yummy treats and plenty of love will win her heart. She鈥檚 an absolute champ at lap-lounging and happily soaking up pampering.

Janica would thrive in a calm home where she can relax, heal and feel safe.

If you鈥檙e looking for a tender, pretty doggie who just needs a gentle hand and a loving routine, she may be your perfect match. Meet and adopt her today 鈥� she is wonderful.

To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at聽.

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She is very sweet and playful, looking for a fun home and hopefully with a frisky cat or kitten friend to play with!

Vera is a 3-month-old Tabby and weighs 3 pounds.

She is adorable, kind and ready to explore the world and her new home. Vera would love a family who can spoil her with great toys, tall cat towers, fabulous meals and plenty of love. Make your dreams come true 鈥� come meet Vera and let this little diva win your heart.

To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at聽.

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Read the full story from The Associated Press.

You can watch a livestream below. Read the full story here.

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District 5 council member Kristin Mink said the firefighters violated the county鈥檚 Trust Act, which prohibits county personnel from voluntarily cooperating with the agency.

Mink said she does not blame firefighters, who had to think fast and were faced with contradictory county rules. Such unanticipated scenarios are something the council needs to think through, she said.

The story continues.聽.

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We want to know what you and your family are excited about for the coming school year and what are your concerns as the fall semester starts.

Fill out our short survey below. Your responses will help inform 黑料不打烊’s back-to-school coverage.

By filling out the survey below, you agree to allow 黑料不打烊 to use your responses on our various distribution platforms.

The survey is conducted using Survey Monkey. If you can’t see the survey below, .

Fill out the survey by Aug. 2 so you aren’t left “at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by” (bonus points if you get the 90s TV reference!)

Create your own user feedback survey

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Artemis is a smart pit bull and has shown remarkable resilience and thrives in a home environment where she can build trust, learn and feel secure.

She is an opinionated girl with a big personality and a strong voice.

Artemis is deeply devoted to her people and has proven to be an eager and highly trainable companion. She has mastered an impressive list of commands, including sit, down, stay, wait, recall, touch, look, go to bed and has shown she loves to learn.

Artemis understands household routines, responds well to praise and rewards. She enjoys interactive games, training sessions and learning new skills.

At 2 years old, Artemis weighs about 58 pounds.

For the right family, Artemis will be an incredibly rewarding companion: devoted, clever, endlessly entertaining and always ready to share her opinions.

To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at .

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These purrfect聽felines arrived as bashful, unsure kitties after losing their home quite suddenly, but their gentle hearts and sweet spirits shine through.

They are truly lovely cats who long to be cherished as beloved family members. Zack is a handsome fellow with the cutest little milk mustache, and Zoe is a precious girly kitty with a bright sparkle in her eye.

Both are in the 14-pound range 鈥� plenty of love to go around with this pair.

With kindness, patience and a warm home to call their own, Zoe and Zack will blossom beautifully.

Meet these lovely angels, adopt them, and get ready to fall in love. To learn more, visit the Humane Rescue Alliance鈥檚 website at聽.

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The groups believe that聽the proposal, crafted by Maryland鈥檚 Department of Labor, essentially allows builders too much flexibility to select 鈥� and potentially double-count 鈥� measures that would reduce the building鈥檚 overall energy use.
鈥淚t creates a lower baseline standard, and makes a bunch more things flexible,鈥� said Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery). 鈥淚n the end, the impact is lower levels of efficiency.鈥�

Charkoudian is among those who believe that the agency鈥檚 changes to the International Energy Conservation Code, or IECC, could violate state law, which allows the state to adopt a code more stringent than the IECC 鈥� but not less stringent.

In response to questions from Maryland Matters, the state agency simply noted that it 鈥渁ppreciate[s]鈥� the comments that have been submitted so far, and shared at a public meeting in Baltimore County this week.

鈥淯pon the close of the public comment period, the Department will review all stakeholder input and make determinations about any further changes or modifications,鈥� agency spokesperson Dinah Winnick said.

A public comment period on the regulations is open until July 27.

Charkoudian is a member of the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, or AELR, the legislative committee that reviews regulations before they take effect. In an interview Friday, Charkoudian said she has asked AELR to place a hold on the regulations so legislators can discuss them with the Department of Labor.

Committee Chair Del. Sandy Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City), said no decision has been made on Charkoudian鈥檚 request, but the committee gives 鈥渟ignificant weight鈥� to the opinions of committee leaders on the subject matter they cover. Charkoudian is also vice chair of the Economic Matters Committee.

For one thing, the 2024 version of the IECC requires that newly constructed large buildings, including warehouses, data centers and apartment buildings, generate a certain amount of renewable energy on-site, such as with a rooftop solar panel array.

But Maryland deleted the requirement, said Erin Sherman, a Maryland-based senior associate for the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on energy policy.

鈥淸It] is not a lot of renewable energy. It does not cover the entirety of a building鈥檚 electricity load in most cases. It鈥檚 a modest, likely cost-effective 鈥� in many cases, if not all cases 鈥� requirement. That is gone,鈥� Sherman said at Thursday鈥檚 public meeting at a Labor Department office in Hunt Valley.

The requirement is for 0.75 watts of renewable energy per square foot for the largest three floors of a new building, which isn鈥檛 a large amount, Sherman said. And buildings would receive reduced energy bills in exchange for the energy they generate on-site.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e concerned about up-front costs, I would suggest you don鈥檛 need to be. That modest solar array would pay for itself,鈥� Sherman said.

Maryland鈥檚 proposal would also allow builders to double-count certain energy efficiency measures, reducing the overall amount of energy efficiency work that they are required to do, relative to the 2024 IECC.

鈥淲e strongly oppose double-counting of any kind. A code user should not be able to take double credit for a single efficiency measure in more than one section of the code,鈥� said Sarah Newman of the Responsible Energy Codes Alliance during Thursday鈥檚 meeting.

If the measures become law, buildings will face higher bills and place greater strain on an already overwhelmed electricity grid, Sherman said, potentially causing an increased cost to the entire customer base, which pays for infrastructure upgrades. More energy use also means more climate pollution, Sherman noted.

鈥淚nstead of high-performance, grid-smart, clean energy-powered buildings, buildings will get higher energy bills. Those lucky enough to build brand new offices or warehouses will pass costs on to other ratepayers through higher peak demand than they otherwise would have,鈥� Sherman said.

But Lori Graf, chief executive officer of the Maryland Building Industry Association, a trade organization representing homebuilders, said Maryland鈥檚 version of the IECC code 鈥� which will cover large multifamily residential buildings 鈥� would give construction companies more flexibility with energy efficiency credits, thereby reducing their costs and stimulating housing construction.

Every time the state adopts new codes, additional requirements tend to add costs for builders, Graf said. The 2021 version of the code was particularly difficult for builders to adopt, she said.

鈥淭he energy efficiency stuff was a little bit challenging,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of the requirements for insulation and some of the other things were very challenging 鈥� and had to, in some cases, require redesign.鈥�

But it appears that this version in Maryland will be more flexible, and better received by the builders, said Graf, who added that her organization is still evaluating the proposed rules and plans to submit comments.

The reductions in energy efficiency requirements are all the more upsetting for Maryland climate advocates because of the recent cuts to the EmPOWER Maryland energy efficiency program. Under EmPOWER, all utility customers pay a surcharge on their bills, and those funds are used to provide home and building owners with free and reduced price energy-efficiency upgrades, including new appliances, insulation and weatherproofing.

During the most recent General Assembly session, lawmakers cut the program for the next few years, in an effort to lower the surcharge during a period of high electric bills. It鈥檚 estimated that their cuts will reduce the size of the program by about a third, though regulators are still determining precisely what cuts will be made to the program, starting in 2027.

Though advocates acknowledge Marylanders would pay a lower cost in the short-run, they believe that fewer investments in energy efficiency will result in higher energy use, necessitating costly infrastructure upgrades in the future.

鈥淭here are some shortsighted decisions that elected officials are making in response to a real concern that Marylanders have over energy affordability,鈥� said Anne Havemann, deputy director and general counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

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