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Charlotte the stingray not pregnant, has disease, says North Carolina aquarium: 'Truly sad'

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Charlotte the stingray not pregnant, has disease, says North Carolina aquarium: 'Truly sad'

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A stingray called Charlotte who befuddled her aquarium team when she appeared to be pregnant without the presence of a male stingray is actually suffering from a rare reproductive disease, the group announced on Thursday, May 30. 

“We regret the delay of updates regarding Charlotte. This time was necessary to gather data and analyze lab and testing results,” said the Hendersonville, North Carolina-based Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO in a Facebook post. 

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Those tests, said the aquarium, “show that Charlotte has developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system. The findings are truly a sad and unexpected medical development.” 

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Now, said the aquarium, “our priority is to focus on Charlotte’s health and well-being. We will work with, and be guided by, veterinarians and specialists to better understand this disease and the treatment options for Charlotte.” 

The group added that research into her disease is “limited.”

“We hope that Charlotte’s case and medical treatment will positively contribute to science and be of benefit to other rays in the future.” 

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Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO announced on May 30 that Charlotte, a round stingray, shown above, was not actually pregnant — but rather had a “rare reproductive disease.”  (Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO)

The team asked for people to “respect Charlotte and her care team as we navigate this unexpected news and work to determine the best path forward.”

A follow-up Facebook post on May 31 provided additional details about Charlotte’s condition. 

The aquarium said it was “actively searching” for additional information about Charlotte’s disease. 

“Good morning. Many are asking [for] the name of the reproductive disease, but it is simply found under that text reproductive disease,” said the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO. 

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The aquarium said it was “actively searching” for additional information about Charlotte’s disease, noting that while there have been studies done on southern rays, it had not found any on round rays to date. 

Charlotte is a California round ray. 

On June 1, the aquarium posted that it would be closed for the day to focus on Charlotte’s care. 

Split image of stingray swimming in tank

Charlotte first made news in February after she was believed to have become pregnant despite not living with a male of her species for eight years.  (Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO)

This update comes about three weeks after the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO posted a cryptic update about Charlotte, saying that the stingray had shown “very little change” that week and would be receiving additional tests. 

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“We appreciate your continued support and excitement as we navigate this unfamiliar area of science and marine biology,” said the aquarium in the May 8 post. 

The aquarium then turned off the commenting function, raising alarm among some people who had followed Charlotte’s story.

Charlotte the stingray at the bottom of a fish tank

Aquarium staff members feared that Charlotte had cancer when her body began swelling. (Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO)

Charlotte first made news back in February, when the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO announced that she was pregnant despite not sharing a tank with a male stingray of her species for nearly a decade.

Brenda Ramer, founder and executive director of the aquarium, told Fox News Digital in February that she initially feared Charlotte had cancer, as the round ray had begun to “swell” in recent weeks.

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An ultrasound, said Ramer, showed that Charlotte’s swelling was not from tumors, but, shockingly, eggs. 

It was thought that perhaps Charlotte had reproduced asexually, or had possibly become impregnated by a male shark in her tank — and it was reported in February that she could give birth imminently. 

Stingrays have, on rare occasions, reproduced without a mate in a process called parthenogenesis, said Ramer. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO for further updates on Charlotte’s condition. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

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Southeast

Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

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Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. 

“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote on X Saturday. 

The president-elect has nominated Rubio to be secretary of state. 

“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” Lara Trump added.

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Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month.

” I have read so many of your kind messages and I cannot thank you enough,” Lara Trump said, adding she has a “big announcement that I’m excited to share in January.”

She said she remains “incredibly passionate about public service and (looks) forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”

The president-elect had previously pressed DeSantis to name Lara as Rubio’s replacement, a source in his political orbit told Fox News Digital, but he later told reporters he didn’t necessarily expect him to select her. 

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Marco Rubio at the RNC

The president-elect has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

“That’s his choice,” the president-elect added. 

Rubio’s senate replacement will be appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term. 

In 2026, the seat will be open for a full six-year term. 

Lara Trump with her husband at President-elect Trump's election night party.

Lara Trump is married to President-elect Trump’s son, Eric Trump.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Lara Trump had previously said she was “seriously considering” the position, although she wasn’t sure it was right for her. 

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DeSantis previously said he would make an appointment by early January. 

Lara Trump did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Florida driver hits student with her truck, covers license plate before fleeing, deputies say

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Florida driver hits student with her truck, covers license plate before fleeing, deputies say

A Florida woman was arrested after she allegedly struck a teenager who was crossing the road with her truck, covered her license plate and sped off.

Sarah Wright, 37, was arrested Thursday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license.

The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Gage Avenue and Noah Street in Deltona, Florida, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was riding his scooter home from Pine Ridge High School when he was struck by a black Chevrolet Silverado as he was using the crosswalk, the sheriff’s office said.

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Sarah Wright, 37, is facing charges of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license. (Flagler County Jail)

The teenager fell to the ground, resulting in a serious laceration to the back of his head as well as an arm injury, but he remained alert and conscious after the incident.

A witness reported that she was checking her mailbox nearby when she heard the crash. She told investigators that the suspect, later identified as Wright, exited her truck after the crash and checked on the boy before she went back to her vehicle and covered her license plate with paper and tape.

But the witness still managed to see the first character of her tag. A neighborhood Ring camera also captured the truck fleeing the scene.

Sarah Wright's truck

A witness managed to see the first character on the truck’s tag and a neighborhood Ring camera captured the vehicle fleeing the scene. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)

The victim and the witness were also able to provide a detailed description of the suspect.

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Officials were then able to locate a suspect vehicle captured on a nearby License Plate Reader camera within minutes.

Wright was found in Flagler County and taken into custody with assistance from Florida Highway Patrol and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

FLORIDA SHERIFF MOURNS ‘REALLY GREAT’ DEPUTY KILLED DURING TRAFFIC STOP; SUSPECT LATER KILLED

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Sarah Wright was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond. (iStock)

She was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond.

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The teenage victim required staples for the laceration and treatment for his arm injury, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

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Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

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Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

A child was hospitalized on Saturday after being hit by a drone that was part of an Orlando, Florida holiday drone show.

According to the Orlando Fire Department, a 7-year-old boy was transported to the hospital because of injuries sustained from the falling drones, FOX 35 in Orlando reported. 

In a video posted online by X user MosquitoCoFl, hundreds of drones being used as part of an aerial light show appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground.

A man could be heard saying to children nearby, “Oh no! I don’t believe they’re supposed to be falling.”

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Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Geese also appear on the water, flapping their wings to try and get out of the way of the chaotic scene.

City officials told the station the holiday drone show was permitted by the FAA.

Still, after one drone show went wrong, the city chose to cancel the second that night at 8 p.m. due to “technical difficulties.”

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several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (2)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

The FAA told Fox News Digital it will investigate the cause of the drone show malfunction.

“Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over [Eola] Lake in Orlando, Florida,” the FAA said. “The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 21.”

According to the agency, drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver to a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time.

For each drone show application, the FAA looks at things like the software controlling the drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show, procedures if drones fail, and procedures for when an aircraft gets too close to the show.

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several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (1)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Additionally, the FAA reviews how the operator will keep the drones inside a confined area using Geofencing, and whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show.

For the second year, the City of Orlando used Sky Elements Drones as its vendor to operate the drones, the station reported.

Sky Elements Drones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

In a statement to Fox 35, the vendor said, “Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21.

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“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the company continued. “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”

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