City Council
Activists talk about organizing for ceasefire resolutions in western Mass amid Israel's continued invasion of Gaza.
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The Shoestring
- CITY COUNCIL NOTES
Ep 22: “Ceasefire Now” With Kaia Jackson and Lemy Coffin
Meet the Candidates for Northampton City Council
Northampton City Council Passes Budget over Calls to Reduce Police “Footprint”
Northampton City Council to Vote on Budget Thursday
Northampton City Council Moves on Reparations, Climate Department, and Liquor Licenses
- PODCAST
- TOPICS
- News
Putting Raytheon on Trial: Arrested UMass Students Channel University’s Radical History
Life Without Parole Deemed Unconstitutional for Massachusetts “Emerging Adults”
PHOTOS: Hundreds March 25 Miles to Demand Gaza Ceasefire
New Tax Cuts Prompt Debates about Affordability
Local Rallies, Actions Continue as Israeli Bombardment of Gaza Intensifies
- Police
Records: Former Greenfield Mayor Wanted to Fund Police Raises With COVID-Relief Money
Help that Hurts: Easthampton’s Policing of an Autistic Transgender Adult
Outgoing Greenfield Mayor Gave Big Raises to Police Officials
Northampton Settles Police Excessive Force Case for $75,000
Police Statewide are Keeping Their Weapons Inventories Secret
- Labor
- Community
2023: The Shoestring’s Biggest Year Yet
Two Months On, Palestine Solidarity Actions Continue Across Western Mass
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and The Shoestring Wants to Give You Art
Grassroots Organizing Sweeps New Faces into Greenfield City Government
The Wired, Wired West: The Collapse of Public Internet in Easthampton and the Struggle to Connect Massachusetts’ Overlooked Communities
- Education
Putting Raytheon on Trial: Arrested UMass Students Channel University’s Radical History
“A Privileged Selection:” Northampton School Planning Committee Draws Ire from Critics
Superintendent Floats Budget Cuts for Northampton Schools
Easthampton Parent Sues Schools Over Unenrollment of Child by Non-Custodial Parent
Meet the At-Large Candidates for Northampton School Committee
- Culture
- Housing
‘Right to Shelter’ at a Tipping Point in Massachusetts
Springfield Residents Rally for Fair Home Buyback Negotiations with Fannie Mae
Holyoke Residents Rally for Basic Housing Rights, Call for New City Office to Protect Tenants
New Tenants’ Union Co-Hosts ‘Know Your Rights’ Workshop
Northampton Landlord Retaliates Against Renters for Forming Tenants Association
- Environment
Pesticide Reduction Advocates Bug Regulators Over Apparent Lack of Compliance
2023 Among the Hottest, Rainiest Years on Record in Western Mass
The Forest and the Trees: Western Mass’ Solar Siting Problem
Climate Advocates Call Out Chase Bank’s Dirty Record
“We’re Not in the Same Boat”: Flood Impacts Felt Unevenly Across Valley
- News
Police
The revelations come a day after the City Council rejected the huge raises for the city’s top cops.
Education
Recent pro-Palestine protests at UMass Amherst take cues from successful campaigns against on-campus CIA recruitment in the '80s.
Trippin' on the Shoestring Podcast
Northampton's state rep talks Medicare for All, peer-response funding, transparency in the Legislature, and more.
Education
With budget cuts looming, some fear the committee — which includes only one teacher — is “not representative” of the district.
Police
Is pairing police with mental health professionals actually improving outcomes for western Mass residents experiencing crises?
News
A decision by the state Supreme Judicial Court will impact over 200 defendants sentenced between the ages of 18 and 20.
Trippin' on the Shoestring Podcast
City councils in three cities fell into disfunction and bickering as their first order of business this year.
Environment
With Massachusetts likely to face more pest pressure as climate change worsens, advocates are urging the state to improve its tracking and regulation of...
Trippin' on the Shoestring Podcast
Former Massachusetts Teachers Association president Barbara Madeloni talks about radical unionism's future in Massachusetts and beyond.
Police
A week before she lost reelection, Roxann Wedegartner gave raises to the city’s top cops. They went into effect her last day in office.
Environment
Multiple floods damaged homes and crops last year, raising the stakes of climate change mitigation across the Valley.