STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Electric vehicles: State lawmakers are debating legislation that would subsidize big utility companies’ plans to build a network of company-owned electric-vehicle charging stations while passing the costs of building them to customers, whether they use them or not. Andrew Tobias reports the bill would also create a state task force to develop an electric vehicle plan, create a $2,000 sales tax rebate on the purchase of new electric vehicles, and set aside millions of dollars in grants to help auto suppliers transition from traditional, gas-fueled vehicles to electric ones. School firearms: Legislation to dramatically slash the number of training hours needed for K-12 school personnel to carry firearms on school grounds is set to head to the Senate floor after a legislative panel neared a vote on the measure Tuesday. Jeremy Pelzer reports that before waving ahead House Bill 99, the Ohio Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee made several changes to the measure, including bumping up the minimum hours of firearms training needed for someone to be armed at school compared to the version of the bill passed by the Ohio House last fall. Dropping out: Jeff Johnson, a former Democratic state senator and Cleveland city councilman, announced Tuesday that he was dropping out of the state Senate race after a federal court approved new state legislative maps that diluted his voter base, Seth Richardson reports. METRO O’Malley exchange: As a member of Cleveland City Council’s Safety Committee, Councilwoman Stephanie Howse aims to address a pervasive flaw in the criminal justice system: a lack of effort to understand the root causes that prompt people to get involved in crime. Courtney Astolfi reports that Howse pursued this line of thought again during a May 11 hearing on juvenile crime charging trends that included Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O’Malley, a white man who interrupted Howse, a Black woman, several times and ordered her to speak to him “professionally.” Traffic deaths: The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 17 deaths and made 490 arrests for operating a vehicle under the influence across the state during the Memorial Day weekend. Olivia Mitchell reports the four-day reporting period began Friday and ran through Monday. The 17 deaths are a small increase from the 15 last year. Growing tomatoes: What kind of tomatoes should you grow in Northeast Ohio? Susan Brownstein writes that cherry and grape tomatoes and smaller slicers are a better bet here, which can be productive well into October and are incredibly sweet, juicy, and flavorful. COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE Mask requirement: Beginning today, masking and social distancing will again be required in all Cuyahoga County government offices and Common Pleas Court, regardless of a person’s vaccination status. Officials hope the mandate will prevent a larger outbreak as COVID-19 infections in the county begin rising again, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Sunburns: A new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults by the American Academy of Dermatology found a sharp rise in tanning and the number of serious sunburns last year, as compared to 2020. Julie Washington reports that about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and 197,700 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year. BUSINESS Hotel deal: Two downtown Cleveland hotels will no longer get new owners after the buyer canceled the deal. In December, Toronto-based VM Hotel Acquisition Corp. announced it would buy the 491-room Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and the 293-room Hyatt Regency Arcade. But on Monday it said it would not proceed with the purchase. Sean McDonnell reports company said it would pull out “due to capital market volatility caused by current world events.” CRIME & COURTS Deshaun Watson: Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been hit with a 23rd civil suit accusing him of sexual misconduct during appointments with massage therapists in 2020, Mary Kay Cabot reports. The new suit comes a week after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated the NFL was "nearing the end of the investigative period" and would soon turn the matter over to independent disciplinary officer Sue Robinson. Lake jail death: The family of a woman who died in the Lake County Jail sued county officials, alleging jail staff never gave the woman the medication she needed before she took her own life. Adam Ferrise reports the mother of Ryan Elizabeth Trowbridge filed the wrongful-death lawsuit last week in federal court in Cleveland against Lake County, sheriff’s officials and jail medical workers. Six charged: Six people previously accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing a woman in East Cleveland have been indicted on aggravated murder and conspiracy charges. Hakim-Ali Shomo, Portria Williams, Destiny Henderson, Nathaniel Poke, Anthony Bryant and Brittany Smith each are charged with several new criminal counts of aggravated murder, murder, conspiracy, kidnapping and felonious assault in the death of Alishah Pointer on Nov. 4, Cory Shaffer reports. Police shooting: The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office released the identity of a man who was shot by a Maple Heights police officer Monday on Cleveland’s East Side. Olivia Mitchell reports Datwaun Catchings, 22, of Cleveland, was shot about 4:17 a.m. during a pursuit that began in Maple Heights and ended on East 93rd Street and Buckeye Road. Mail theft: Four people are charged in connection with the theft of U.S. Postal Service master keys that allowed them and others to steal mail from blue boxes across the area. Adam Ferrise reports FBI agents investigating the case estimated they’ve linked the Cleveland-area group to some $2.7 million in stolen mail and cars combined. 2-year-old’s death: A Cleveland man who earlier this month pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 2-year-old boy now wants to take the case to trial. Cory Shaffer reports that Ronald Hicks Jr.'s lawyer insists that Hicks maintains his innocence in the death of Ryan Mounts Jr. and wants to withdraw his guilty plea. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Music by candlelight: Thousands of electric candles gently flickered as the North Coast Quartet performed Vivaldi’s classic “Four Seasons” inside the First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland, put on by Fever. Annie Nickoloff reports upcoming candlelight programs include iconic Queen songs (June 3, July 1, Aug. 2), hits by pop singer Adele (June 17, July 15, Aug. 12), a range of Taylor Swift songs (June 24, July 22), a set of jazzy Beatles selections (June 10) and a unique Bach to The Beatles program (Aug. 19). | 