In a unanimous vote, the Prince George's County Council passed an emergency bill imposing sweeping restrictions on dance halls. The emergency: Partygoers keep dying at these clubs.

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How bad is it in PG? Over the past six years, 61 homicides have been linked to dance halls. For those slow in math, that's basically one every other month.

The law, once signed by County Executive Rushern Baker, will separate the licenses given to dance halls for youths and adults, raise the fees to run a dance hall, and require a 2 a.m. closing time — a particularly punishing restriction, as the early morning hours are often the most profitable. Business owners say the regulations will punish good-faith dance clubs while renegade venues will continue to profit by flouting the law.

The Examiner wrote about the new regulations, and, true to form, spoke with Ron Moten. The larger-than-life personality wished the county had reached out to businesses before passing the bill. The county has done so before, and yet, many clubs still haven't provided the necessary security to prevent people from getting killed.

The bill will go into effect this summer. Party, down.