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The Shoestring
Healthcare costs squeeze municipal budgets, prompting exodus from regional insurer
As rising healthcare costs bear down on local governments, teachers are losing their jobs, cities and towns are cutting services, and the cash-strapped Hampshire Group Insurance Trust, which provides health insurance to thousands of municipal employees in western Massachusetts, is trying to stay afloat.
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Ceasefire and Divest, or Cease and Desist? Lawsuit seeks to undo Northampton’s Israel-divestment resolution
Two legal advocacy groups are suing to block the city from divesting from “entities complicit in human rights violations in Israel and Palestine.” Divestment activists say the effort is an attempt to chill free speech.
Editorial: Heading to Boston for Local News Day
The Shoestring and allied publications visited state lawmakers yesterday to promote legislative solutions to the crisis in local news.
Massachusetts’ AI program is more than meets the eye
The Shoestring found that the state has been testing at least 40 government use cases for AI, though it remains tight-lipped about most of them.
Could the Strathmore have been saved?
Ahead of the historic Turners Falls paper mill’s near-certain demolition, the Montague Reporter and The Shoestring examine eight crucial years through the eyes and voices of its stewards.
Judge allows class-action suit against Baystate Health to proceed
Centered on patient data-sharing between Baystate and tech giants Meta and Google, the suit could expose the hospital system to hundreds of millions in liability.
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.