With the intensity of the election season increasing, more people are feeling stress about the political climate, and experts are warning them to take care of themselves.

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week, that includes a look at how the election cycle impacts mental health, plus a heart-warming column about a couple who met at a refugee camp in Holland in the 1990s and have found success with two restaurants in Dayton.

Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.

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Election season stressing you out? You’re not alone

Elections in recent years have been some of the most divided and contentious in the country’s history, causing increased anxiety among voters. Reporter Sam Wildow looked into the impact on mental health.

• What’s changing: About 43% of adults recently surveyed in an election survey said they felt more anxious than they did the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022, according to a poll from the American Psychiatric Association.

• What they’re saying: “I think the closest we come to the kind of division we are at right now is probably in the late 1960s, which was also an era of political violence and a lot of conflict and strife in the country. I think the division is there, and it’s significant.” — Mark Caleb Smith, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Cedarville University.

• Role of social media: Social media can lead people to making decisions based on limited, and sometimes poor, information that was most likely communicated in a way to elicit an emotional response, experts say.

• What you can do: Finding a way to take a break from the big news of the moment may be what’s needed to protect your peace, mental health experts say. Getting outdoors, exercising and spending time with friends and family can all be helpful.

Archdeacon: The Jusufi family and their restaurant success prove the American Dream is real

The story of Mo and Mira Jusufi, who met at a refugee camp in Holland while escaping the Kosovo War in the 1990s, and their family is one that shows the spirit of the American Dream, Tom Archdeacon writes in this powerful column.

• Who are Mo and Mira? They and their family own Jimmy’s Italian Cuisine and Bar in the Oregon District, which they opened in May in addition to their Jimmy’s Italian on Woodman Drive in Kettering.

• Where did they meet? In the refugee camp in 1998 when she was 23 and he was 25. “I walked in the (recreation) room, and he was playing pool,” Mira said. “I paid no attention, but he came up later — skinny, long hair — and I’m like ‘Oh my God!’”

• Their path: Mira came to the U.S. first in 2001 with their baby, Albert. She worked multiple jobs with support from local benefactors while saving money. Nine months later, when Mo got to Dayton, Mira and Albert were at the airport waiting for him.

• Paying it forward: Now their family, which also includes son Doni, operates the two restaurants and often hires those new to the U.S. who don’t yet speak the language and need an opportunity to succeed.