Kroger

The $25-billion deal is likely to draw intense scrutiny from federal regulators and critics as it would form a new supermarket colossus at a time of soaring food costs.

Tuesday’s tally of more than 9,900 new COVID cases in Ohio includes a backlog of positive tests dating back to September; the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says it has fired its executive and legal director citing what it says is evidence he'd been spying on the organization for years; investigators say skeletal remains found nearly 40 years ago in Twinsburg have been identified as those of a guitarist who once played with the R&B group, The O’Jays; and more stories.

Coast Guard and fire department crews rescued 10 people who were stranded on ice floes in Lake Erie in Cleveland; About 1.4 million Ohioans have started a COVID-19 vaccine; the Ohio Department of Health is hosting a series of COVID-19 vaccine town halls for several specific communities; and more stories.

Here are your morning headlines for Monday, May 18:DeWine warns restaurants about protocols;Outdoor restaurant seating becomes a norm once again;Ohio…