The USS Cleveland will officially enter active service Saturday during a commissioning ceremony at North Coast Yard.

Why it matters: It's the first time in history that a Navy warship has been commissioned in Ohio.

Driving the news: The USS Cleveland (LCS 31) is the fourth Navy vessel to carry the city's name and the latest addition to the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship fleet.

The big picture: Ships in this class are speedy and can operate in both "near-shore" and "open-ocean" combat environments.

• The USS Cleveland will support the U.S. military's "forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe," per the Navy.

Zoom in: The vessel carries Northeast Ohio ties beyond its name.

• Steel used in the ship's construction came from Cleveland-Cliffs. Local manufacturing giants, including Lincoln Electric and Sherwin-Williams, contributed additional products and materials.
• The ship's motto, "Forge a Legacy," is a nod to Cleveland's industrial heritage. And its crest, featuring an anvil and a red stripe, honors the city's steel manufacturing roots.

What they're saying: The ship is "Cleveland in spirit and Cleveland in its bones," Tim Daley, a USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation historian, told WKYC.

State of play: The vessel was greeted by a flotilla on Lake Erie and hundreds of watchers on land when it arrived in Northeast Ohio over the weekend.

• Public ship tours continue through tomorrow, though reservations are currently booked.

What's next: The ticketed commissioning ceremony begins at 10am Saturday at North Coast Yard near Huntington Bank Field.

• The event will also be livestreamed.
• The ship is expected to depart Cleveland on May 19 and will head to its home port in Mayport, Florida.

The recent outbreak of the hantavirus aboard a cruise ship is giving some eerie sense of déjà vu.

Catch up quick: The Andes strain of the virus, which health authorities have identified as the culprit aboard the MV Hondius, is the only one known to be capable of transmission between humans.

• Three deaths have been reported — all ship passengers — and several others have fallen ill after the ship embarked from Argentina in early April. The World Health Organization said eight suspected or confirmed cases connected to the ship had been reported as of this past Friday.
• U.S. officials in at least five states (not Ohio) are monitoring returning passengers' symptoms, but no cases have been confirmed.

Zoom in: The wild mice that carry the virus are found in Ohio, but no confirmed cases have been reported in the state.

• The CDC has reported nearly 900 confirmed hantavirus cases in the U.S. since 1993, most of them in the West and Southwest.

What they're saying: Health authorities are unequivocal — this is not COVID 2.0.

• "This is not COVID, this is not influenza," said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's acting director for epidemic and pandemic management, said last week. "It spreads very, very differently."
• Transmission has been associated with close, prolonged contact, such as between household members, intimate partners and people providing medical care.

Yes, but: That doesn't mean the virus shouldn't be taken seriously. WHO officials are urging cross-border collaboration to trace and contain the spread.

Go deeper

🚨 U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver has rejected the city of Cleveland's and the U.S. Department of Justice's request to end the police consent decree. (Cleveland.com)

⚖️ Gov. Mike DeWine has selected Ohio Department of Public Safety director Andy Wilson to serve as state attorney general when Dave Yost resigns next month. (Columbus Dispatch)

🏗️ A developer has applied for low-income housing tax credits to build a 65-unit apartment complex on Lorain Avenue, near the West 65th Street-Lorain Rapid station. (NEOtrans)

🛜 Cleveland is severing ties with the company it contracted to build a network of fiber optic cables below ground.

• After 20 months, the company has not begun construction. (Signal Cleveland)

👋 Ryan Deto here from Axios Pittsburgh. I tried Barberton fried chicken, a Northeast Ohio specialty, last week on a birding trip and I wanted to share.

Why it matters: A few restaurants in Barberton and its surroundings are some of the only places in the country to try Serbian fried chicken.

Dig in: Belgrade Gardens created the dish in 1933 when Serbian immigrants opened the restaurant.

• It has a crispy-breaded coating that's lighter than typical fried chicken, but it explodes with delicious juices. Eat it over the plate.
• I ordered the four-piece chicken dinner ($19.59) with sides of mashed potatoes with white gravy, green beans and hot sauce — a Serbian spicy tomato and rice soup.
• I had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

The vibe: Charmingly old school with a corresponding older clientele and tons of seating.

• Everyone was ordering the fresh-cut fries, so we ordered some ($6.09). They were a little crispy, a little soft and very potatoey; remarkably similar to Pittsburgh-style fries.

If you go: Noon-7:30pm Tuesday-Sunday at 401 E. State St., Barberton.

• Hopocan Gardens and Village Inn Chicken in Norton, and White House Chicken (multiple locations) also serve Serbian fried chicken.

One of the most recognizable components of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's front plaza is gone.

State of play: The museum has removed the red "Love Live Rock" sign that has sat in front of the museum since 2016 and has been a backdrop for millions of selfies on social media.

• The removal is part of the Rock Hall's $135 million expansion, set to near completion in November.

Yes, but: A replacement sign that reads "Love Live Rock & Roll" is on the way, as shown in renderings of the expansion.

• The new sign will be white and light up at night, something the previous sign didn't do brightly enough due to its red color.