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The Shoestring
Massachusetts independents aim to win over frustrated voters
Several independent and third-party candidates will be on the ballot in western Massachusetts on Tuesday at a time when Gallup found that a record-high 45% of U.S. adults identify as political independents. But in deeply Democratic Massachusetts, their campaigns still face steep challenges.
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Records: Hampden sheriff’s office regularly shared data with ICE
An attorney for the department said it has discontinued the practice after the PROTECT Act took effect last month, but that it will continue its partnership with Homeland Security Investigations.
Question 2 could give public defenders the right to unionize
Committee for Public Counsel Services employees say they can better help guarantee the public’s Sixth Amendment right to legal representation if allowed to collectively bargain.
National Guard deployment sent Sen. Velis to militarized southern border
The Shoestring has confirmed new details about Velis’ seven months in Texas, part of a Trump Administration effort to use military resources against people crossing the border.
Queer Gazette readers have had enough discourse, thank you
See Something, Say Something #25: Petitioners call on the Daily Hampshire Gazette to curb the transphobic rhetoric in its opinion pages
Can Question 7’s zoning reform ease the housing crisis in Mass.?
The ballot initiative would allow single-family homes to be built on residential lots as small as 5,000 square feet. Developers and some progressive groups say that will help first-time buyers. But others aren’t convinced.
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.