Morning Briefing: Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Monday has arrived, and so has this newsletter! Hopefully you had a good weekend, and are feeling ready for the new work week. If not, let me at least get you ready for any news related conversations you will have at work or school today...

🏫 Classroom consolidation: Dayton Public Schools has announced plans for next school year to consolidate preschool classrooms to Rosa Parks Early Learning Center and River’s Edge Montessori. Read about it in Eileen McClory’s story.

🚧 Developer’s land acquisition: Industrial Commercial Properties says it now controls the remaining land open to development in the Kettering-Beavercreek Miami Valley Research Park. You can read more in Thomas Gnau’s story here.

📄Report due soon: In another story from Gnau, a company whose Union distribution center recently sold for nearly $42 million has a report on its local job creation due to the Ohio Department of Development in the coming days.

We have a lot more news for you today found below! If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at jeremy.ratliff@coxinc.com.

Want to read the digital version of the newspaper? Click here for our daily ePaper.

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LOCAL NEWS

• Adventure time: WSU event highlights beauty and wonder of the great outdoors

• First-ever Montgomery County Local Foods Conference to be hosted this week in Dayton

• Local Focus: Events going on in your community


LIFE

• Actors help University of Dayton law students prep for real life cases

• From Legos to Mechatronics: Warren County man finds dream career through hands‑on apprenticeship

• Book Nook: A son honors his family for doing almost anything to gain their freedom


CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• 1 dead, 1 injured after Middletown shooting

• 1 injured after semi, box truck crash in Warren County


SPORTS

• High school basketball: District brackets for boys D-I, II released

• Archdeacon: The heavyweight return of Amaël L’Etang

• Dayton basketball: A deep dive into the record book


NATION & WORLD

• US men’s hockey gold medal and Eileen Gu’s halfpipe victory highlight final day of Winter Olympics

• Armed man shot and killed after entering secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service says

• “One Battle After Another” wins 6 prizes including best picture at Britain’s BAFTA film awards


ANNE’S SPOT: Upgraded menu, rotating cocktails, live music and pizza at Oregon Express

Anne Kane’s column helps paint a picture in our minds of what you may view at Oregon Express here in Dayton: “On any night of the year, you may see a packed house with a DJ one evening and a quiet acoustic set the next. You may even see a cake decorating class. With the option of private rentals for the community, you could potentially stumble upon a graduation party or maybe even a karaoke-filled room.” She has a lot of great background on this local establishment, as well as tips for parking if you plan to go.