The Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield, seat of Springfield District Court, Hampden Superior Court and four of the county’s extant officers, is plainly a mess. But did it ever have to get to this point?
UPDATED 7/11/18 7:25: To include news out on Wednesday that now both Register of Deeds candidates have suspended their campaigns. Longtime Hampden Register of Deeds Donald Ashe passed away Tuesday morning, ending an era and scrambling the ongoing race for his seat. A fixture of
SPRINGFIELD—For whatever reason, Hampden County has a number of missing people—at the polls. Data from 2012 indicates that the county, which contains the commonwealth’s third largest city, falls well below the state’s turnout level. The problem is particularly pronounced here—though not unique countywide—but efforts are