Ohio has been one of the states reportedly impacted in a country-wide series of racist text messages.

Today in the Morning Briefing, we look into what has happened with the texts and what Ohio is doing. We also report on the struggles some downtown Dayton businesses are having.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 20 seconds to read.

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Ohio AG opens inquiry into ‘despicable’ racist text campaign

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office opened an inquiry over the weekend following news that an unspecified number of Black Ohioans were reached by a racist, nationwide text campaign that threatened or implied the return of slavery.

• What happened? The messages targeted Black men, women and students, including some as young as middle school. In some instances, the recipients were directed to report to plantations. Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings.”

• What it caused: The texts have spurred inquiries from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who posted on social media calling the messages “despicable” and said his office is looking into it.

• Reaction: Tom Roberts, president of the Ohio NAACP and a former Dayton-area lawmaker, called the messages an act of intimidation and said he wants whoever is responsible for the messages to be held accountable.

Heartbroken: Downtown businesses in trouble, fear they won’t survive

Some downtown Dayton businesses say they are struggling because of increased costs, subpar sales and reduced foot traffic and they worry about what the future holds.

• Latest example: Heart Mercantile sent out an SOS to the community on Saturday warning that it is going to be forced to close unless things turn around significantly.

• What they’re saying: “We have been scarily close to shutting our doors for a while now. We had to completely replace our air conditioning unit at the beginning of the summer and it was almost the nail in our coffin.” — Gus Stathes, one of the owners of the Barrel House downtown.

• What’s happening: Stathes said people are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table and small, batch, high-quality beers and products are a luxury. He said they’ve been trying to lower their draft prices and cut costs in other areas.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: A man taken into police custody following a pursuit early Tuesday is accused of kicking in an apartment door in Miamisburg and threatening to shoot occupants that included young children.

• Big move of the day: A warehouse building between a Five Guys and Submarine House on Brown Street near the University of Dayton campus has been torn down, and the owner hopes to bring a new coffeeshop there.

• Person to know today: Joel Thompson. The 37-year-old is a “luthier,” a craftsperson who builds and repairs stringed instruments that are played with a bow or plucked.

• Obit of the day: Dayton native Gerry Faust, who rose to fame as a football coach who made the leap from Moeller High School to Notre Dame in 1980, died on Monday at 89.

• Things to do: The Foundry in downtown Dayton is bringing back its Igloo Experience with an enclosed space, heaters and rooftop views.

• Photo of the day: This 1982 photo shows University of Dayton fans storming the court after the Flyers upset DePaul, 72-71. We’ve recently expanded our archive of Dayton Flyers historical photos, and we’ll be sharing those throughout the season. Check out our gallery of Flyers fans from the archives here.