Dusty Christensen
Indy journalist | Investigations editor at The Shoestring | Contributor
at New England Public Media | Teaching future muckrakers
at UMass Amherst and Smith College
first dot last @ protonmail dot com
- Must-read reporting from @shelbyyy-xo.bsky.social:
- Massachusetts residents and lawmakers are in a state of limbo waiting for updates on proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. They say the effects of those cuts would be devastating. Those cuts threaten healthcare for 2 million Massachusetts residents. Reporting by Shelby Lee @shelbyyy-xo.bsky.social
- As the Trump administration slashes funding for climate-change adaptation, green energy, and supports for vulnerable communities, I wrote about the "hydroclimate volatility" in western Mass and worldwide. My latest:
- For at least the second time in two years, Northampton has settled a civil rights lawsuit against its police department. And there's another civil rights suit still pending in federal court, too. My latest for @theshoestring.bsky.social:
- Five years after Eric Matlock sued over his 2017 arrest on City Hall’s steps, Northampton has agreed to settle. But for how much? City officials won’t say. Our latest from Shoestring investigative editor Dusty Christensen: theshoestring.org/2025/03/12/n...
- At least 593 western Mass workers unionized in 2024, according to federal data — everyone from cannabis dispensary workers in Whatley to Smith College student workers and the staff of the transgender health-care center Transhealth. Now, Starbucks workers hope to continue the wave. My latest:
- Two western Mass Starbucks stores are seeking to unionize with @sbworkersunited.org. The Shoestring's Dusty Christensen found that more western Mass workers unionized in 2024 than in any previous year since at least 2019. The Northampton and Westfield Starbucks workers say that they’re next:
- Public health experts and those in #harmreduction have concerns about the opioid reversal agent Opvee. But the company that makes it, Indivior, has found a vocal ally in its marketing of the drug: police. My latest investigation for @theshoestring.bsky.social and New England Public Media:
- Opvee’s marketing comes amid a nationwide debate about how to compassionately and effectively respond to overdoses. It’s a conversation that has taken on added urgency as some $50 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement money pours into communities nationwide. How they will spend it, though, depends:
- A big thanks to my editors on this piece @karenstella.bsky.social over at NEPM, where you can also find this article, and @shelbyyy-xo.bsky.social for early edits for @theshoestring.bsky.social. And to everyone who talked to me over the last several months of reporting. www.nepm.org/regional-new...
- So many stunning details in these videos that The Republican's Greta Jochem spent months fighting for. Accountability reporting at its finest: www.masslive.com/westernmass/...
- In Massachusetts, it's easier for police to seize ppl's cash, cars, etc than in any other state. And they often get to keep it. For @nepublicmedia.bsky.social & @masslive.bsky.social, Greta Jochem & I probed how police & prosecutors seize & spend money in western Mass. www.nepm.org/regional-new...
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View full threadWe also found two instances, in Hampshire and Franklin counties, where police seized money from people and it was only years later — in some cases decades — that prosecutors said they had a chance to get it back. www.nepm.org/regional-new...
- Big shoutout to Sam Hudzik and Larry Parnass for believing in this project, and to Greta Jochem for being such an incredible reporting partner and friend. Check out the full series in The Republican 🗞️ and today on All Things Considered at 88.5 FM 📻
- Massachusetts has the lowest legal standard for seizing property. Once it lands in police/prosecutors' bank accounts, they often spend it on more policing. But we also found them buying a mahogany desk, an ice cream truck, PR consulting and more: www.nepm.org/regional-new...
- New The Shoestring swag! Want one of these comfy t-shirts? Give a one-time $75 donation, or $5/month, today on #GivingTuesday to support local investigative journalism in western Massachusetts. More info here: fundrazr.com/shoestringdo...
- Western Mass folks: who's making the 413 starter pack???
- As drought and its resultant fires rage across Massachusetts, I dug into EPA data to find the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in western Mass. My latest investigation for The Shoestring (and my first post on Bluesky!):
