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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — FOX31 cameras rolled this week as dozens of parakeets, purged from a closed wildlife animal exhibit, changed hands in a parking lot across the street from the Southwest Plaza mall. It’s causing even more trouble for the already troubled SeaQuest-Littleton. FOX31 first reported two weeks ago that inspectors from the Colorado Department of Agriculture ordered SeaQuest to shut down its interactive aviary. According to public records, that demand came after inspectors found repeat violations which were […]
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Some families, who bought passes to an interactive wildlife exhibit at Southwest Plaza mall, are demanding their money back to no avail. According to several prior customers who contacted FOX31, SeaQuest Aquariums isn`t offering refunds for annual memberships despite that organization being under an “open investigation” by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Records show state animal-welfare inspectors failed SeaQuest’s aviary exhibit three times in a row, which ultimately led to a cease and desist order. SeaQuest […]
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The FOX31 Problem Solvers have uncovered more troubles at a controversial wildlife exhibit operating inside Southwest Plaza Mall near Littleton. This time, the violations are related to mammals. We’ve been investigating animal welfare concerns at SeaQuest for weeks; mostly focused on serious safety issues inside its interactive bird cage. State inspectors found the situation so “unsustainable” they issued a cease and desist order for that exhibit on Monday. Now, FOX31 has discovered SeaQuest also recently paid […]
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AURORA, Colo. — The new Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora will end up costing nearly $2 billion. The FOX31 Problem Solvers spent time over the summer documenting entry and exit points, wondering if the VA would create Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant doorways. At least two outside access doors are without electronic push buttons that automatically open the entryway. Inside, additional doors had automatic mechanisms installed, but the devices didn’t work. The most problematic, persistence barrier leads to the VA’s Psychosocial […]
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A new interactive aviary inside a Littleton-area mall has been ordered to shut down its operations until it can pass a Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act inspection. State inspectors called it a “danger” to the birds and have flunked the Southwest Plaza SeaQuest for the third time since June 14. Last week, the FOX31 Problem Solvers went undercover to expose seemingly unsafe and unsanitary conditions at a mall-based exhibit. After seeing our pair of hidden […]
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This article has been updated following SeaQuest’s response to FOX31 Problem Solvers’ investigation. JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The new SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium in the Littleton area is touted as an “interactive experience” for kids to learn more about mammals, reptiles, fish and birds. But complaints of unsanitary, unsafe conditions at its new Southwest Plaza Mall location prompted the FOX31 Problem Solvers to go undercover to reveal the behind-the-scenes truth. SeaQuest is a petting zoo of sorts which opened only about […]
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DENVER — A Denver-area couple was arraigned on 370 criminal charges related to an alleged illegal gambling operation on Thursday. According to the Denver District Attorney’s Office, 39-year-old Bagrat Garamov is charged with 198 criminal counts, including multiple felony charges of “slot machines – shipping violations.” Misdemeanor counts include: engaging in professional gambling, fraudulent limited gaming acts, possession of gambling devices and maintaining a gambling premises. His wife, 34-year-old Tammy Garamov, faces similar charges but fewer counts with 172 listed […]
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AURORA, Colo. — Just before Christmas, “Jennifer,” a single working mother, noticed some disturbing new behaviors in her kindergarten-aged son. When asked why he was acting that way, his previously secret story began pouring out. According to a never-before released Aurora police report, an older boy at his day care was suspected of repeatedly sexually abusing Jennifer’s son in what’s been described as “a poorly supervised” bathroom inside Mission Viejo Elementary the prior summer. A child care facility there is […]
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DENVER — Brighton Boulevard construction has been a constant mess for several years now, with more detours and closures to come. That’s created a secondary traffic nightmare at a train crossing for folks living and working in North Denver and Commerce City. The street-level rail crossing, which slants across York Street, connects a series of neighborhoods and light industrial businesses to a major I-70 on-ramp and access to downtown Denver. FOX31 Problem Solvers discovered a rail switching yard near this […]
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CRESTONE, Colo. — Friends and family of 30-year-old Kristal Anne Reisinger are offering up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for her disappearance. That’s a significant jump in money from the original reward of $1,000 posted a year ago. The FOX31 Problem Solvers first told you about Reisinger last summer. She disappeared under suspicious circumstances shortly after moving from Denver to Crestone – a tiny town in southern Colorado near Great Sand Dunes […]
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DENVER — Business at the Colorado legislature wrapped up with plenty of across-the-aisle arguing about how to spend tax money on roads and state retirement funds. However, lawmakers appeared to be united behind a request from the Governor’s Office to start allocating more money to police body armor protection. Gov. John Hickenlooper told FOX31, following the shooting deaths of three Colorado peace officers (all of whom were wearing soft body armor vests) within a five-week span earlier this year, he […]
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DENVER — The National Institute of Justice is moving toward implementing tougher manufacturing standards for police-protective gear. The more stringent proposed testing rules would require most hard body armor (rifle-resistant plates) to prevent “penetration” from typical AK-47 and AR-15 rounds – something not now required. As first reported by FOX31, at least 25 peace officers have been killed with a rifle over a decade while wearing body armor, where the fatal shot penetrated a vest through the torso. None of […]
