Ryan Heinsius
News Director & Managing EditorRyan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered 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 Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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 family hiking, running and cycling the amazing terrain of northern Arizona and the Southwest.
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As Flagstaff voters weigh in on a proposal to build a new hospital, some in the community have questioned how Northern Arizona Healthcare will pay for the project. The company maintains it’ll be 100% privately funded.
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Flagstaff is a week away from a mail-in election that’ll decide whether Northern Arizona Healthcare will be able to move forward with plans to build a new hospital.
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Vice President Kamala Harris visited Flagstaff Tuesday as part of a month-long tour of U.S. colleges and universities focusing on issues mainly affecting young people.
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Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has announced his campaign for Congress. He’ll take on first-term Republican Rep. Eli Crane in Arizona’s second district.
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At the end of the week, federal wildland firefighters could take steep, across-the-board pay cuts without action from Congress, which advocates and officials fear could trigger mass resignations within the workforce.
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The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force government agencies to more accurately keep track of forest health treatments.
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Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has signed a bill into law designed to enhance the rights of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. It comes after years of work by tribal leaders and advocates.
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Arizona’s ongoing housing crisis has worsened staffing problems for firefighters and first responders in the Prescott-Quad Cities area. They’re finding it more difficult to land affordable homes near their jobs. It’s causing positions to go unfilled and forcing departments to hire from elsewhere. Officials also say it chips away at local communities and is a financial drain on city governments and fire districts. A study at Northern Arizona University seeks to find a solution to the issue.
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Flagstaff police have closed an investigation into allegations that a Flagstaff man had adopted, abused and killed cats.
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The mayor of the Town of Tusayan has declared an emergency after this week’s flash flooding. A major monsoon storm triggered nearly three feet of water to rush through the heart of the community.