Ohio
A Covington track and field athlete signs with Ohio State for gymnastics
Covington senior Kerrington Baham started her love of gymnastics when she was 7, and she doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.
Baham recently signed with Ohio State for gymnastics, while fellow Covington senior Mikayla Berry signed to play Division III volleyball for SUNY Morrisville in upstate New York.
Baham was born in Mason, Ohio, but her parents moved to St. Tammany Parish when she was eight months old.
“Maybe when I was in third or fourth grade, finding out I was born in Ohio, I started having a fascination with the state. Before deciding on a college and what sport, I had made some Instagram posts before reaching out to Ohio State, and they followed my posts. That resulted in my official visit in February,” Baham said.
“I got to watch the gymnastics team practice and met with the team. About a week after I returned home, Ohio State offered me a scholarship.”
Baham took up dance at age six and started competing in gymnastics the following year, joining Northshore Gymnastics in Mandeville. She’s a member of the Flairs.
Baham continued to excel at gymnastics, becoming a state champion in the floor exercise in 2023 and the vault in 2022.
“My favorite event is the floor exercise,” Baham said. “It’s my go-to event. I consider myself a powerful gymnast, where others may be considered more graceful. I also like the vault.”
Baham also excelled in track and field, lettering all four years at Covington and receiving several Division I offers. As a junior, she won the triple jump and earned a runner-up finish in the long jump at the state meet. She qualified in both events again this year but decided not to compete as she focuses on a future gymnastics career.
Berry was also a multisport athlete, but her volleyball hustle drew the interest of SUNY Morrisville coach Fred Wallace.
“Coach Wallace said he liked my effort on video, so he contacted me, offering me a spot, saying I’m the first person he’s recruited from the South,” Berry said. “I’m so excited to become part of the program. They’re graduating some seniors, so this is an important recruiting class. Coach has set up group chats for the new players to get to know each other before arriving on campus, which has been fun.”
Lions’ first-year coach Brennon Coker said Berry showed her leadership by stepping into whatever position the team needed.
“Unfortunately, Mikayla missed a large part of her senior season with injuries,” Coker said. “She really bought into my coaching philosophy and helped take some of the younger players under her wing. She’s a good overall leader who handles everything in a positive manner.”
Berry said she’s ready for the challenge of college volleyball.
“I have always loved volleyball,” Berry said. “Six payers on the court playing together trying to achieve success is special. You must rely on your defense, the setter and the bench as a support system. It’s like being a member of one giant family. I’ll push myself, striving to continue working hard so I can have more special moments with my new college teammates.”
Authorities arrested four adults on felony child endangerment charges after discovering 16 children in dire need of medical treatment Tuesday in a rural southern Ohio home.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched a home in the small village of Hamden, where they found the kids in what officials called “deplorable” conditions.”
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference.
Law enforcement arrested Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. They have not yet been arraigned and assigned public defenders.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were being charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Officials did not confirm if the children were related but said it was not a human trafficking situation. They said the adults were not locals and appeared to have been traveling.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
The children ranged from ages 1.5 to 18 and included both boys and girls, officials said. Several were in serious conditions when found, and two had to be flown to level one trauma centers because of their injuries.
Wilson said it was the worst scene he had ever encountered in his entire career, describing what he saw as “pure evil.”
Law enforcement were also executing a secondary search warrant at the home Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing. The four adults will appear in court Wednesday morning.
“Justice will be served for these children,” Wilson said.
UPDATE 6/30/26 @ 6:30 p.m.
VINTON COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – Four people are in custody Tuesday after a search found 16 children inside a home in the Hamden area of Vinton County, officials said during a news conference.
“This is pure evil what we saw down here today,” said Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who described it as one of the worst scenes he has ever seen.
It happened in the 100 block of Ohmer Street.
Two children had to be life-flighted to trauma centers, and the victims are being treated at hospitals throughout Ohio.
Their ages range from one and a half to 18 years old.
“Lives were in danger,” officials said during the news conference, saying it has been a long-term investigation.
They said there is a secondary investigation underway at the property.
The suspects are set to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Vinton County Common Pleas Court.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Vinton County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are among the investigators.
We have a crew at the scene working to get more details. Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest.
ORIGINAL STORY
VINTON COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – A news conference is scheduled Tuesday evening about a search warrant that was executed at a home in the Hamden area of Vinton County.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson’s office made that announcement, saying the news conference is scheduled at 6 p.m. in McArthur, Ohio.
Along with Wilson, Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer and members of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are set to attend the news conference.
The search warrant was executed at a home along Ohmer Street, with a heavy law enforcement presence reported throughout the day.
Additional details are unavailable now, but we have a crew headed to the scene.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
Central Ohio 2026 summer weather forecast
Weather forecasts call for a hotter- and drier-than-normal summer in the region.
The Columbus Dispatch
Central Ohio is under an extreme heat warning starting at noon due to dangerously hot conditions.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued the extreme heat warning from noon June 30 to 8 p.m. July 2 in central and south central Ohio as well as parts of Kentucky. The heat index will rise to about 105 degrees, the weather service said.
On June 30, there will be sunny skies and a high near 95 degrees in Columbus, according to a forecast by the weather service. The heat index will reach about 106 degrees.
Columbus will see a high of 98 both July 1 and July 2, with a heat index as high as 106 on July 2, the weather service said.
People should drink plenty of fluids, stay in air conditioned rooms and out of the sun and check on their relatives and neighbors.
People should not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles because car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in minutes, the weather service said.
Cooling centers will open June 30, and the city has waived bus fares and public pool entry fees during the heat wave.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com
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