Police Judge: Civil-Rights Lawsuit Against Northampton Police can Proceed Three of Eric Matlock's claims against the NPD survived summary judgement, including that Chief Kasper trained officers to make "unlawful arrests." Dusty Christensen6 days ago
Labor Striking SAG-AFTRA Workers to Rally Thursday in Northampton The union has picketed nationwide after going on strike in July for better working conditions in the streaming era. Dusty ChristensenSeptember 20, 2023
Culture REVIEW: Ruth Garbus’s Ode to Ephemerality Recorded live at Greenfield's 10 Forward, Alive People finds wonder in the mundane. Brian ZayatzSeptember 15, 2023
Culture A Place to Bang One’s Head: Heavy Music Fans to Create Coop Venue Metal and other heavy genres may soon have a permanent home in the Valley — one run by musicians, fans, and workers. Dusty ChristensenSeptember 8, 2023
Labor “Workers Are Fed Up”: Local Labor Leaders Reflect on the State of their Movement Across different sectors, workers and organizers around western Mass are optimistic for the future. Dusty ChristensenSeptember 4, 2023
Immigration Op-Ed: Language Justice Still Needed for Immigrant Drivers Under a new law, undocumented immigrants can get a driver’s license. But bureaucratic language barriers still stand in the way. Aina de Lapparent AlvarezAugust 28, 2023
Labor Michaels Workers in Hadley Organize Store’s First-Ever Union The effort is the latest union-organizing "first" to happen in Hadley Dusty ChristensenAugust 21, 2023
Police Protesters rally against police brutality in Northampton after violent arrest The protest came after The Shoestring published video of police tackling and pepper-spraying a 60-year-old woman. Dusty ChristensenAugust 14, 2023
Labor Starbucks Workers United Gets Show of Local Support The rapidly growing national union called on supporters to demonstrate against the company’s union-busting tactics on a day of action. Dusty ChristensenAugust 10, 2023
Police EXCLUSIVE: Northampton Police Tackle, Pepper-Spray 60 Year Old Woman What started as a traffic stop for a broken headlight could now land the city in court. Dusty ChristensenAugust 8, 2023
Culture The Shoestring Radio Review #1 Western Mass has a vibrant music and spoken word scene in the air all around us. It's time more people tuned in. Brian ZayatzAugust 4, 2023
Education New UMass Group Works to Oust Raytheon From Campus The anti-militarism group Dissenters has spotlighted the school's ties to weapons manufacturers. Shoestring contributorAugust 1, 2023