Ryan Heinsius
Ryan 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 News and National Native News.
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 dogs hiking and cycling the amazing terrain of northern Arizona.
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The new national monument that President Biden is designating in Arizona today comes after Native nations advocated for decades to protect the area -
Ten years after 19 wildland firefighters died in Arizona, the profession has changed practices to improve safety and care for crews' mental health.
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Rain after big fires last year had whole neighborhoods in Flagstaff, Ariz., sandbagging to protect homes. Near-record snowpack in the mountains are threatening to test larger scale flood controls.
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The U.S. got two new national monuments this week in Nevada and Texas. One is a sacred place to several tribes. The other also includes ancient tribal lands and was once a military training ground.
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Peterson Zah, president of the Navajo Nation during tumultuous times in the 1980s has died. He's being remembered for helping secure long-term benefits for the nation from energy development.
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A farm in Arizona helps people get over their grief by helping them care for rescued animals.
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The Rise of Skywalker speaks to the historical experiences of many in the Indigenous community. An exhibit by Native artists attempts to shed light on those connections. -
Large-scale forest thinning in northern Arizona to prevent wildfires is behind schedule. But a new program is taking low-value logs and shipping them across the Pacific to markets in Asia. -
The singer-songwriter's latest album, Black Cowboys, chronicles the role played by African-Americans in settling the West after the Civil War. The album has been nominated for a Grammy.
