Ryan Heinsius
Executive ProducerRyan joined KNAU's newsroom in 2013. He covers a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a frequent contributor to NPR.
Before making the leap to public radio, Ryan spent more than a decade in print media as the editor of an alternative weekly paper. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in political science and journalism and has also returned to teach at his alma mater.
Ryan is a Flagstaff-based musician and has performed and recorded with many bands in the Southwest. He spends as much time as possible with his wife, daughter and dog hiking and cycling the amazing terrain of northern Arizona and the West.
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Foresters are aggressively trying to understand the effects of an invasive insect known as oystershell scale that’s expanded at an alarming rate in recent years and is threatening northern Arizona's iconic quaking aspen groves. -
Tribal, county and local leaders are applauding the approval of a levee project near Winslow. It’s designed to prevent flooding in the city and several tribal communities that’ve been under threat for years because of the aging system.
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The Hopi Tribe has again tightened public health restrictions on the reservation amid a major surge in COVID-19 cases. As in nearly all parts of the U.S., it’s being driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant.
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The acclaimed Americana band Son Volt is on tour in support of their 10th studio album, "Electro Melodier." For bandleader Jay Farrar, the pandemic was the backdrop for the songs and the social justice movements of 2020 served as a primary inspiration. Much of the album rambles through the American experience with lyrics ripped straight from the headlines.
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The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says it will temporarily stop incarcerating some non-violent arrestees because of spiking COVID-19 cases in the county jail. It comes as staff say they’re at a critical point in being able to slow infections.
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The Coconino County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved an audible siren system for areas impacted by flooding from 2019’s Museum Fire. Last summer, more than 50 Flagstaff homes were inundated with water causing over $1.5 million in damage to private property.
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Arizona’s largest teacher’s union is highly critical of Gov. Doug Ducey’s state-of-the-state address Monday, saying he offered no plan or support to keep schools open for in-person learning amid the state’s highest recorded numbers of COVID-19 infections.
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Coconino County health officials on Friday reported nearly 1,500 new COVID-19 infections during the last week of 2020. It was the highest number of new local known cases yet during the pandemic.
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Navajo Nation leaders have finalized a second wave of COVID-19 hardship assistance payments for tribal members. They hope it’ll alleviate the effects of the pandemic, which has hit the tribe especially hard.
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Three wild horses have been found dead on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in eastern Arizona. It’s the latest in a years-long string of unsolved horse killings in the area that began in 2018.
