
Amanda St. Hilaire
I am an investigative reporter with a passion for public records and open meetings. I’ve been part of the FOX6 team since July 2018.
My love for journalism started when I was 12. My parents took me to school board meetings, which they attended to advocate for students with disabilities. I took notes, asked the board members questions after the meetings, and wrote stories about what happened.
Just a few years later, I did my first investigative report at the age of 15. My parents announced they were moving our family of eight from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania. I promptly dug up every fact I could find about the area, made arrangements to live with a friend’s family, and presented my findings to my parents. They congratulated me on my efforts, informed me that I was still required to move with them and my five brothers, and suggested I channel my energy into journalism.
Pennsylvania turned out to be lovely. After I graduated high school, I attended Syracuse University, where I graduated one semester early with a dual B.A. in broadcast & digital journalism and international relations.
A few weeks after graduation, I started my first television news job at WTOL11 in Toledo, Ohio. Toledo will always have a special place in my heart because it’s where I met my now-husband, Steve. It’s also where I officially started my investigative career. Through public records, I was able to expose flaws in the state’s school vaccination tracking system and uncover the City of Toledo fraudulent food expenses.
I eventually returned to Pennsylvania to work at ABC27 in Harrisburg, where I was a founding member of the station’s first investigative team. I also started a weekly "Restaurant Report" segment, along with the market’s first television station podcast, called On Deadline. I continued to hold local leaders accountable through reporting on public expenses, nursing home violations, costly towing practices, efforts to skirt laws governing transparency, and gaps in the Capitol’s system for reporting sexual harassment.
I am a recipient of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accounts "Truth in Finances Award, along with regional honors from the Associated Press and the Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, reading, hiking, and exploring our new home of Wisconsin!
The latest from Amanda St. Hilaire
Open Record: Open Meetings 101
What should you expect from your government's public meetings?
Wauwatosa school board president resigns after controversy, claims threat
The Wauwatosa School Board resident abruptly resigned, claiming he received an email he "can only perceive as a threat" to his family's safety.
Wauwatosa School Board discussed public records in secret
A Wauwatosa School Board member says the board president punished him after he revealed a secret conversation about a FOX6 public records request.
Wauwatosa police: No charges, but school district 'failed to act' before FOX6 investigation
Wauwatosa police said there will be no criminal charges against a school administrator who encouraged a taxpayer-funded contract with the company paying her husband.
Black Holocaust Museum reopens in Milwaukee
America's Black Holocaust Museum reopened in Milwaukee after being closed for more than a decade.
Teddy bear found at Milwaukee airport; reunited with 5-year-old boy
A happy ending in Milwaukee! A teddy bear found at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport was reunited with its 5-year-old owner, Ezekiel Burnett, on Tuesday morning, Feb. 15.
6-figure payout for school administrator accused of violating policy
Public records show a Wauwatosa School District administrator accused of using her position to steer business to her husband's employer received a six-figure payout.
Open Record: Anonymous sources
The FOX6 Investigators explain how and why they use anonymous sources in their storytelling.
Employees question Wauwatosa School District's internal investigation
Wauwautosa School District employees tell FOX6 they're concerned the results of an internal investigation will allow school leaders to avoid accountability.
Wauwatosa school administrator to resign after investigation
Wauwatosa School District assistant superintendent Kristin Bowers will resign. An internal investigation prompted by FOX6's reporting concludes she violated policy with her involvement in the district's contract and payments to her husband's employer.