Relocations for the first of dozens of beluga whales that remained at the now-shuttered Marineland Canada have begun, according to the aquariums **** isting in the rescue.
Marineland Canada, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, closed in September 2024 in the wake of controversy and allegations of animal abuse, CBC reported. Thirty beluga whales remained at the facility -- their care funded by donations. But once those donations ran out, their caretakers worried that euthanasia might be imminent -- asking the Canadian government in October 2025 for funds to feed the marine mammals.
MORE: Loss of sea ice putting migrating beluga whales in danger
On Monday, six of the beluga whales began their journey to their new home, according to several **** ociation of Zoos & Aquariums-accredited aquariums that are collaborating in the rescue.
Veterinarians **** sed the belugas' fitness for travel before they were loaded into specialized cold-water containers and transported by truck and plane, the aquariums said. The belugas, ranging in age from 6 to about 40, have been receiving "top-notch care" and are all in great condition, Eric Otjen, vice president of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego, told ABC News.

#aquariums #whales #remained #rescue

By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said on Wednesday he was shutting down his office's Conviction ‌Review Unit that looked into potential wrongful convictions, attributing the ‌decision to funding suspension by the Trump administration.
"Following the Trump Administration's refusal to renew federal grant funding that supported the program, my Office is suspending our Conviction Review Unit," Ellison said in a statement.
"Current budget constraints do not allow the program's costs to be absorbed without compromising other core responsibilities."
The unit ‌was formed in 2020 ⁠and started accepting applications to review cases in 2021. Ellison said it had received a $300,000 grant for its initial ⁠two years to fund the work of an attorney and the grant was renewed at $500,000 for a period of two more years.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) on Sunday said he would not want to change the Constitution's rules against non-native born Americans running for president, even as his political base continues to grow nationally.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist was born in Uganda. During a Sunday interview, ABC News's Jonathan Karl noted that Mamdani will soon meet the Constitution's age requirement to run for president. But Karl noted Mamdani would still not be eligible to run given his birthplace.
When asked if the requirements should change, Mamdani laughed and said, "I think the Constitution looks good the way it is," during a Sunday appearance on ABC's "This Week."
Mamdani made waves this week as three House candidates he backed won elections over two incumbents and a third candidate backed by the party establishment. Two of the candidates backed by Mamdani were also democratic socialists.
The mayor's policies have focused on economic issues, though he is also a supporter of the Palestinian cause and a critic of Israel, as were the three candidates who won on Tuesday.

Those in charge at the Kennedy Center have been accused by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, of purposely allowing the Washington, D.C., venue to languish into a "lifeless husk" by not resuming regular shows and programming.
Beatty, an ex officio board member of the Kennedy Center, initially filed the lawsuit against President Donald Trump in December 2025, when the board decided to install signage displaying his name alongside Kennedy's on the building.
According to a court filing Friday, Beatty's legal team argued the current board, with Trump as chairman, is in violation of a May court order by "refusing to take any steps to maintain the Center's operations, and will effectively close the Center as a performing arts venue come July 5, 2026."

MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A Texas teenager who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old track athlete from a rival team during a high school meet was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday in a case that drew wide attention beyond the booming Dallas suburb where they were students. A jury rejected Karmelo Anthony's claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in stadium bleachers last year. Most people who testified were students who described a heated exchange over Anthony's refusal on a rainy spring day to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf's team.
Anthony, now 19, did not testify at trial and only his mother took the stand during the sentencing phase, telling jurors her son was sorry.
Notoriety about the case spread, in part, because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the tragedy had nothing to do with race.
Jeff Metcalf, Austin's father, had also denounced those who sought to stoke racial divisions after his son was killed. A year later, he said again in a Collin County courtroom that it was never about race while his voice swelled with anger over the death of his son.
"You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society," said Metcalf, looking at Anthony after the teenager was sentenced.