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 the latest in our Mental Health Matters: Kids in Crisis series looking at youth mental health, and news and analysis on this year’s election now that early voting is underway.

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.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at Josh.Sweigart@coxinc.com, or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Kids in crisis: Parents struggle with rapid changes affecting their teens

Previous reporting in our Kids in Crisis series provided an overview of youth mental health challenges, and the role technology and social media play. Today, we look at the challenges parents face.

• Tough job: As a father myself, I can attest parenting is a tough job. And kids today face unique challenges and pitfalls. How do you tell the normal chaos of a kid going through puberty from a mental health problem? In this story, reporters Eileen McClory and Samantha Wildow talk to parents and experts about navigating this challenging landscape.

• Mom, advocate: Even if a parent knows their child needs help, sometimes getting them what they need can be a challenge. In this story, a local mom talks about the great lengths she went through to access resources for her son, and provides advice for parents in a similar situation.

• Risky behavior: With kids facing mental health challenges, Samantha Wildow looked into whether there was a rise in risky behavior such as smoking, drinking, sex and drug use. Her findings are somewhat surprising.

• Kids in Crisis: Go here for other parts of our series, and for additional resources.

Election 2024: What you need to know

Early voting started last week, allowing Ohioans to make their voices heard on a plethora of important federal, state and local races and issues. Here’s the latest from our reporting:

• Voter Guide: Our Voter Guide is live, allowing you to compare the positions and platforms of candidates for federal, state and local office in their own words.

• Federal: In addition to the Voter Guide, our reporters are doing more in-depth coverage of key races. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Turner is facing two challengers in November, for example. We have a deep dive into that race here.

• State: We have profiled races for Statehouse seats in Greene and Warren counties. There are several important local Statehouse races on the ballot this year, and we will have more in the coming weeks.

• Abortion: Readers tell us abortion is a major issue to them. This story by Samantha Wildow explores how abortion is indirectly on the ballot in both federal and state races.

• Local: There are many important local candidates and issues on the ballot, such as a Montgomery County commission race, a bond issue for Beavercreek schools, and several tax levies before voters in some local cities and townships.

• Election 2024: Previous stories have included an explainer on state Issue 1 (the redistricting amendment), and how your vote will impact other key issues. Future reporting will help you understand other important races and issues. Go here for all of our Election 2024 coverage.