Open Record

Researchers around the world produced COVID-19 vaccines faster than anyone thought possible. However, getting that vaccine into human arms is proving to be a monumental challenge. More than 11 million Americans have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, but tracking data shows Wisconsin is lagging behind. In this edition of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators dig into how Wisconsin's vacc...

When you're pregnant, there's plenty of decision-making happening: Will I get an epidural during labor? How will I pay for day care? Will we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl? Pregnant health care workers on the front lines of COVID-19 are now the first in line to make a big decision with limited data: Should they get the COVID-19 vaccine? In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigator Am...

The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha sparked protests and riots. The investigation into that shooting is now complete. That means hundreds of pages of records, squad car videos, and a hospital interview with Blake are now in the public domain. In this episode of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators explain how the Blake case isn't the only case where investigative records are coming to pub...

Four people are dead and more than a dozen police officers hurt in a chaotic attack on the heart of democracy. The United States reeling after angry mobs donning pro-Trump gear, flags, and signs, breach the U.S. Capitol building. This all happened as U.S. Senators met to certify the election of Joe Biden as president. In this episode of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators invite FOX6 political rep...

COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin and across the country continue to soar. Those steady numbers mean hospitals are at record capacity. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire examine the efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine around the world. They talk about why it's happening slower than promised and where that leaves Wisconsin residents. You'll hear...

The year is nearly over, and many of us are focusing on what's ahead rather than looking back on 2020. We know, a lot of bad things happened in 2020, but what about the good stuff that happened over the last 12 months? In this episode of Open Record, the podcast team focuses on the positives of 2020. From more animals being adopted to technology making it easier to stay in touch with people and st...

Take yourself back to the 2020 November election, because that's where a lot of the recent flurry of State Supreme Court cases start. Wisconsin is once again in the national spotlight because of those cases and the rulings could impact you going forward. In this episode of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators invite FOX6 political reporter Jason Calvi on to talk about the Wisconsin State Supreme Co...

Healthcare workers across Wisconsin are starting to get the first injections of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. While the process to get all those workers vaccinated could take weeks, the number of COVID-19 patients in area hospitals continues to grow. There are still nearly four times as many COVID-19 patients in the hospital as there were at the worst of the first wave last spring. In this edit...

It was March 11, 2020 when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Nine months later, the FDA is on the verge of granting emergency approval of a coronavirus vaccine. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire dig into today's hearing and impending decision. This day-long meeting centers around Pfizer's application for emergency appro...

Just today, a 90-year-old woman in the UK became the first person to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, outside clinical trials. Here in the United States, we're just days away from the FDA hearing its first case for approval. In this episode of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators dig into the coronavirus vaccine. They take listeners through what we know so far about the different vaccine...

Since the pandemic hit in early March, Wisconsin's unemployment system continues to get flooded with claims. At FOX6, while we hear from a lot of viewers caught up in the red tape, we are also getting a lot of calls about unemployment fraud. In this episode of Open Record, the FOX6 Investigators talk about two sides of the coin: The victims of fraud and the people who say they're falsely accused....

While COVID-19 cases continue to surge across Wisconsin, the state's prison system is dealing with a coronavirus outbreak. Right now, 25 adult institutions have active COVID-19 cases. Three of those prisons still have hundreds of infected inmates. So, how is the virus getting into those facilities? In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire talk about a...

Does or mean and? Or does or mean... well, or? That was the crux of a legal battle between FOX6 News and Governor Tony Evers over our request for the Governor's emails. In this episode of Open Record, why a Dane County Circuit Court judge said 'or' means 'or' -- and the potentially powerful implications for government transparency in Wisconsin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

The problem of reckless driving is nothing new in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, it only seems to be getting worse. Despite all the meetings and task force recommendations, it appears little has been done to actually talk to the young people who are engaging in this deadly behavior -- until now. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire talk about a story Br...

The coronavirus is back in court in Wisconsin. Once again, there's a battle over what Governor Evers can and can not mandate during a pandemic. The latest arguments in Wisconsin's Supreme Court center around a statewide mask mandate. That move came after the governor's original public health emergency related to the pandemic had expired, a move opponents said was illegal. In this episode of Open R...

Wisconsin is in the midst of one of the nation's most dangerous COVID-19 surges. As schools brace for a virtual winter and hospitals near their tipping point, Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire break down the Badger State's numbers, put them in context, and discuss the tough decisions about holiday gatherings and where schools should draw the line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

We've been living in a COVID-19 world now for eight months and it appears our way back to normal is a vaccine. However, developing that vaccine is only the beginning. Why is the process so complicated? Once the vaccine is released, who gets it first? In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire invite Contact 6's Jenna Sachs on to talk about the COVID-19 v...

It's been a wild ride, but the 2020 election isn't over just yet. We're still waiting on results from several battleground states. Wisconsin made its pick for the White House by half a percentage point. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire invite FOX6 political reporter Jason Calvi on to talk about all things elections. Jason helps break down where...

Months of campaigning, political rallies, and informing voters has come down to today. Election Day 2020 is here. We could, however, be a long way from knowing the next President of the United States. Due to the pandemic, an unprecedented number of mail-in and absentee ballots still have to be counted. It's something election clerks warn could make for a very long night. In this episode of Open Re...

The COVID-19 outbreak at Waupun Correctional Institution is now so large that prison workers can no longer isolate sick inmates from those who are healthy. That's according to an internal memo obtained by FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn. It's the second outbreak at that prison and one of at least 11 in Wisconsin with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigator Brya...

As people spend more time at home amid the pandemic, the number of projects homeowners tackle increase. With some of those jobs come problems. Contact 6 continues to get flooded with complaints from FOX6 viewers about jobs gone bad, unreliable contractors, and other problems homeowners face. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire invite Contact 6's J...

Of the more than 36,000 teenagers of driving age in Milwaukee County, only half actually have a driver's license. While no one knows just how many, it is clear a significant number are driving anyway. They're behind the wheel with no education, training, or legal right to be on the road. In today's episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire explain why community...

It's the most-received call and email into the FOX6 newsroom: Unemployment issues. Since the pandemic hit more than seven months ago, FOX6 viewers have reached out to us, hoping we can help them get unemployment benefits. The viewers who contact us say there are a number of problems with the system, from having trouble filing an initial claim to not receiving benefits months after that first filin...

It's been seven months since COVID-19 shutdowns began and sent people scrambling. Since March, we've all changed the ways we get our information. Now, we know some of those changes might be here to stay. In this edition of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hilaire dive into the changes they've seen to freedom of information. Hear how public meetings have made a shift and...

There's a growing economic pressure in Wisconsin for parents to find affordable child care options. But does hiring an unlicensed provider put your child's care at risk? A Waukesha child care provider is facing a criminal charge for lying to police about her identity and some of her clients say she lied to them, too. In this episode of Open Record, FOX6 Investigators Bryan Polcyn and Amanda St. Hi...