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The Shoestring
AI Hallucination? Proposed Westfield data center appears abandoned by developers
The Shoestring’s investigation uncovered signs the project’s developers may have abandoned it, even after local officials spent years arranging for significant tax breaks.
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See Something, Say Something #23: Reporter bots come to western Mass
For our media criticism column, Jonathan Gerhardson questions AI use at MassLive
Criminalizing dissent: Trump directive applies to some state, local police in Mass.
A federal directive orders state and local police that partner with the FBI to use common opinions as evidence of terrorist intent.
Mass. spent a record amount of opioid settlement funds last year. But on what?
BINJ examined an unpublished remediation fund report, which revealed spending on services, equity grants, and millions unaccounted for.
Experts warn federal healthcare cuts will have dire local consequences
At a panel hosted at UMass last week, healthcare executives and state officials offered bleak projections and ideas for patching widening gaps in coverage.
Election: mixed results for candidates running on increased school funding
In Northampton, Amherst, and Greenfield, increasing public education budgets became a central issue in Tuesday’s elections — but not all candidates who ran on it saw success.
ABOUT THE SHOESTRING
The Shoestring is an independent news publication in Western Massachusetts that provides in-depth and accurate journalism covering local politics, culture, and power. We bring you the stories, perspectives, and context that no one else does, from Northampton and across the Connecticut River Valley.