Ryan Heinsius

More than two weeks ago firefighters extinguished a small wildfire on the San Francisco Peaks that started when a tree fell on a power line. It was the second such fire in the last year involving the line. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

For anyone who’s spent time in the woods of northern Arizona lately, it’s pretty obvious how extreme the fire danger is right now. Vegetation is dry, stock tanks are low, and in some areas large-scale tree die-offs are a vivid reminder of the drought that’s plaguing the Southwest. In the midst of the region’s driest months of the year, many residents are growing nervous and officials are on high alert. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius recently met up with True Brown, fire management officer with the Coconino National Forest, to check out the conditions firsthand.

A wildfire near the small mining town of Bagdad in Yavapai County has burned more than a dozen homes. It comes amid extended drought and high fire danger throughout the Southwest. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

Gov. Doug Ducey has signed at least a dozen voting bills into law during this legislative session. Republicans say they make elections more secure and efficient, but according to tribal leaders, some of the measures are nothing more than attempts at voter suppression following former President Donald Trump’s loss in Arizona last year. Tribes worry the new laws combined with language barriers, the remoteness of reservations and even poor road conditions will disenfranchise Indian Country voters, especially elders. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius spoke with Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, whose district includes the Navajo Nation, of which she’s a member.

Observers and elected officials continue to raise concerns about the Arizona Senate Republican audit of Maricopa County’s 2020 election results. It comes as a growing chorus of bipartisan critics frame the effort as a sham. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.