Heather Hintze
Multimedia Journalist
Anchorage, AK
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(Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photography)
Heather is a Montana girl who found her home in the mountains of Alaska. For the past few years she’s been living in Palmer, covering news in the Mat-Su Valley.
Before moving to Alaska in 2011, Heather worked in Eugene, Oregon and Missoula, Montana where she graduated from the University of Montana’s broadcast journalism program.
Heather’s career in journalism has afforded her incredible opportunities to travel around the state and cover amazing stories. That includes playing with baby walruses at the Alaska SeaLife Center, flying aerobatics in Valdez and even traveling to Nuuk, Greenland to cover Team Alaska at the Arctic Winter Games.
The best part of all of her adventures, though, is the people. From the women of Anaktuvuk Pass who are cultivating a new arctic gardening program to an Alaska Native athlete striving to beat his father’s record in the knuckle hop. She’s fascinated by the cultures that connect communities around the state and honored to share the stories of so many wonderful Alaskans working to make a difference in the world
Updated: Dec. 6, 2020 at 4:39 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Volunteers formed a bucket brigade and spent more than three hours unloading donated goods.
Updated: Dec. 6, 2020 at 1:40 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
As Haines deals with a devastating landslide, volunteers in town have answered the call to help their community.
Updated: Dec. 5, 2020 at 3:44 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
“I went, ‘Oh my God.' There was a pile of downed trees over 20 feet high, about 90 yards from my property," Dennis Franks said.
Updated: Dec. 4, 2020 at 3:18 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Scientists from the Department of Natural Resources are in Haines to examine the landslide and determine when it will be safe for emergency crews to get into the area.
Updated: Nov. 13, 2020 at 2:32 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Volunteers in Chickaloon have revived the fire department and took courses to make sure they're prepared to respond to an emergency.
Updated: Nov. 12, 2020 at 11:34 AM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Austin Barrett's sentencing for his role in David Grunwald's murder was supposed to be live streamed on YouTube because of the pandemic. Barrett's attorney did not want video of the hearing up on the internet.
Updated: Nov. 12, 2020 at 9:20 AM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Earlier this year, Austin Barrett made an agreement with state prosecutors to plead guilty to one count of second degree murder in the killing of David Grunwald.
Updated: Nov. 11, 2020 at 4:49 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
On Veteran's Day, Josh Nestler spoke at the Veterans' Wall of Honor in Wasilla and encouraged people to open up about their experiences serving in the military.
Updated: Nov. 10, 2020 at 3:21 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Since the pandemic has closed some schools and left classmates quarantined, Colony Middle School turned to Zoom to put on its theater productions.
Updated: Nov. 9, 2020 at 7:20 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Tina Ervin started the ACE Lending Closet after her son Austin was paralyzed in a car crash. She gives away used medical equipment and supplies for free to people in need.
Updated: Nov. 6, 2020 at 4:20 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
With a spike in COVID-19 cases in Palmer and Wasilla, the Mat-Su Borough now requires the public to wear masks in its buildings.
Updated: Nov. 6, 2020 at 2:28 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Juneau artist Crystal Worl's design was one of five selected from hundreds of submissions to put a spotlight on Native artwork.
Updated: Nov. 5, 2020 at 8:08 PM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Alpenglow Hair Studio opened in March just as the pandemic hit Alaska. Now the business is back open sharing a building with the Forget Me Not Boutique.
Updated: Nov. 4, 2020 at 11:25 AM AKST
|By Heather Hintze
Alaska Air National Guardsmen help out in the Five Loaves Two Fish Kitchen in Wasilla to prepare meals for people in need.
Updated: Oct. 29, 2020 at 5:34 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
To boost business during the pandemic, Sally Koppenberg added more retail space for her handcrafted food products.
Updated: Oct. 28, 2020 at 6:15 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Houston mayor and city council have approved more than $800,000 of federal funds to go toward an addition and renovation at City Hall.
Updated: Oct. 27, 2020 at 4:41 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Mat-Su Health Foundation has given out $1.2 million to non-profits that focus on food security, housing and health care.
Updated: Oct. 27, 2020 at 4:39 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Mat-Su Borough will no longer give out $100 in individual assistance grants from its CARES Act funding.
Updated: Oct. 26, 2020 at 6:02 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Doug Holler and Glenda Ledford are in a runoff election to become Wasilla's next mayor.
Updated: Oct. 23, 2020 at 5:25 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Purely Alaskan Chuckwagons are like mini, mobile grocery stores that will go to neighborhoods to make shopping safer during the pandemic.
Updated: Oct. 22, 2020 at 9:08 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
After 18 months of negotiations, teachers represented by the Mat-Su Education Association now have a contract approved by the school board.
Updated: Oct. 21, 2020 at 5:13 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
UAF began evaluating gravel resources on the trails near the Matanuska Experiment Farm as a possible source of revenue.
Updated: Oct. 20, 2020 at 4:48 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
As the number of positive coronavirus cases continues to rise in the Mat-Su Valley, so does the number of schools that are closed for cleaning.
Updated: Oct. 19, 2020 at 7:30 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Alaska Bible College recently received state certification to offer a four-year degree in elementary education.
Updated: Oct. 15, 2020 at 2:48 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Instead of thousands of people gathering in Anchorage, the 2020 AFN convention will be held online and on television.
Updated: Oct. 14, 2020 at 3:56 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
At a joint meeting, Anchorage and Mat-Su assembly members called on the governor to fully fund school bond debt reimbursements.
Updated: Oct. 14, 2020 at 1:27 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The military-like elective class usually relies on in-person instruction to show students proper formations. Now, instructors are using chess pieces.
Updated: Oct. 12, 2020 at 6:40 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
This year's Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration was held online with speakers and recorded performances from dance groups.
Updated: Oct. 12, 2020 at 11:32 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Judge Gregory Heath cited "ongoing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic" as a reason for postponing Dominic Johnson's sentencing for a few more months.
Updated: Oct. 9, 2020 at 4:19 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Karma Elliott drove by Mile 51 of the Parks Highway and noticed her sister's roadside memorial was missing. It turns out the Department of Transportation collected every piece and returned the mementos to the family.
Updated: Oct. 8, 2020 at 9:57 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
A new location for brush and yard debris at the Willow Transfer Station means people in the Susitna Valley no longer have to make the long haul to Big Lake.
Updated: Oct. 7, 2020 at 8:33 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
In 2015, Palmer residents voted to prohibit any kind of marijuana business for opening in city limits.
Updated: Oct. 5, 2020 at 2:58 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Crews are construction a detour on the south side of the Parks Highway to move traffic so they can install a new bridge next spring.
Updated: Oct. 1, 2020 at 2:30 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Matanuska Experiment Farm grew 135 varieties of potatoes at its demonstration plot near Palmer. About 30 families got the opportunity to take home free sacks of spuds during the harvest.
Updated: Oct. 1, 2020 at 8:54 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Mat-Su Valley Rebuild non-profit aims to reuse construction materials to keep them out of the landfill. Its new location in Wasilla has more room to store good and makes it easier for customers to shop.
Updated: Sep. 30, 2020 at 3:35 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Shane Lamb will close his Palmer gallery after 30 years in business after a devastating drop in sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: Sep. 29, 2020 at 10:14 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Volunteers pack up the Willow Library's 35,000 book collection. Most of the books will be stored while a new library building is under construction.
Updated: Sep. 25, 2020 at 11:32 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers nonprofit finished construction on two black diamond trails that have more technical challenges for riders.
Updated: Sep. 23, 2020 at 4:01 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
There are several important steps to take while preserving food so canned goods don't end up with dangerous bacteria.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2020 at 4:29 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The National School Lunch Program has been extended until Dec. 17 or until funds run out to provide free breakfast and lunch for students.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2020 at 2:29 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
During a virtual town hall, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she supports efforts to find a COVID-19 vaccine because tourists won't travel to Alaska if they don't feel safe.
Updated: Sep. 21, 2020 at 3:06 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
By the end of August, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough had reached its three-year average for the number of ATV crashes.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2020 at 5:03 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Iditarod has a multi-tiered approach for the 2021 race with contingency plans depending on the severity of cases in Alaska.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2020 at 11:03 AM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Without the Alaska State Fair, vendors are finding new ways to bring in revenue.
Updated: Sep. 17, 2020 at 7:34 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Nome Police Department is the lead agency in charge of Florence Okpealuk's disappearance. The FBI is providing technical assistance by analyzing cell phone data and surveillance video.
Updated: Sep. 17, 2020 at 12:19 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
The Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake caused catastrophic damage to Houston Middle School.
Updated: Sep. 14, 2020 at 2:42 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Judge Jonathan Woodman denied a motion to suppress interviews Lukis Nighswonger had with police officers several days before he was arrested on sex abuse charges for allegedly touching students.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2020 at 2:48 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Bella Hunt and Lily Caven were playing on the swings when they heard a family calling for help. They ran to tell adults at the school, who called 911.
Updated: Sep. 10, 2020 at 2:18 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Residents are fed up with dangerous shooting activity, trash and vandalism at Jonesville.
Updated: Sep. 9, 2020 at 1:55 PM AKDT
|By Heather Hintze
Preserving a 95-acre parcel on the Moffitt property means it will stay farmland forever and can't be used for housing developments in the future.
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