Hampden County, Massachusetts

A new report from real estate data firm NestCash finds Hampden County ranks second among Massachusetts counties for foreclosure risk, with Springfield a particular hotspot: 109 foreclosure petitions were filed there from July to December 2025, more than triple the statewide rate. Dukes County, driven by seasonal vacation properties, ranks first. Hampden's mortgage delinquency rate and unemployment rate (5.6%) are also among the state's highest. Springfield's housing director says rates remain low by national standards and are not comparable to the 2008 crash, since homeowners today generally retain equity. The city also has the state's highest eviction filing rate, which officials link to low median household income.

With under three weeks before Massachusetts voters head to the polls, the arrest and mounting legal troubles of former Gov. Maura Healey aide Lamar Cook have become a flashpoint in the gubernatorial race. Cook, previously arrested on drug and firearms charges, now faces new federal charges over alleged SNAP fraud; a Hampden Superior Court judge also revoked his bail for 90 days in the pending state case. Republican candidate Mike Minogue pointed to the episode as evidence of Healey's lack of accountability, criticizing her for faulting police over Cook's background check. Healey said she regrets hiring Cook but fired him immediately upon learning of his arrest. Cook returns to court Oct. 26.

Governor Maura Healey's administration is facing questions over a roughly $2 billion plan to replace Springfield's Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse with a new "regional justice center" built and owned by private developers under a 40-year lease, with two optional 10-year extensions. Under the arrangement, the state would not own the building for up to 60 years, if ever, though Healey says ownership terms are still being negotiated. Critics, including Republican gubernatorial challenger Mike Minogue and Pioneer Institute researcher Jeffrey Calabrese, question why the state would be responsible for major capital repairs in the lease's second half without gaining eventual title to the property. Healey defends the deal as the best value for taxpayers, citing the state's constrained capital budget and developer financing advantages, and dismisses criticism as political attacks and a "PR smear campaign." The bid award has also drawn controversy over developers' political ties and a pending amended legal complaint from losing bidders, which Healey predicts will be dismissed.

Lamar Cook, 46, a former deputy director of Gov. Maura Healey's western Massachusetts office who was fired in November 2025 after being arrested on cocaine and gun charges, now faces federal charges for SNAP and wire fraud. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley announced the charges, and Cook was scheduled to appear in Boston court.

Prosecutors allege that in April 2026 Cook applied for SNAP benefits claiming zero income and a household limited to himself and a minor child, failing to disclose that his fiancée and his mother lived with him, that his fiancée earned more than $80,000 annually, and that he had nearly $9,000 in the bank. His mother had also recently won about $1 million in the Massachusetts Lottery and allegedly sent him roughly $12,000 via Zelle. Cook received about $546 monthly in SNAP benefits, allegedly spending them at retail stores and during a July trip to Florida. Separately, the state mistakenly paid Cook roughly $22,000 for accrued vacation time after his firing and could not recover the funds.

Cook faces up to five years in prison for SNAP fraud and up to 20 for wire fraud. Healey, running for re-election, said she was glad federal authorities acted; her opponent Mike Minogue has seized on the case politically.

Four elected Hampden County justice officials — Sheriff Nick Cocchi, Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Clerk of Courts Laura S. Gentile and Register of Probate Rosemary Saccomani — sent Gov. Maura Healey a letter at the end of September opposing the state's July selection of 125 Liberty St. in Springfield as the site for a new Roderick Ireland Courthouse. They cite unresolved concerns over lease costs, parking, lot size and site contamination, and argue the choice doesn't serve taxpayers or the roughly 1,600 daily courthouse users.

The state's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance selected developer Liberty Junction (led by FD Stonewater) for a $1.94 billion, 40-year build-and-lease deal meant to speed delivery of a replacement for the aging courthouse. DCAMM defends the process and says it will deliver the project years faster than traditional construction. Healey has backed the procurement, noting a judge declined to block it. Separately, developers James Balise and Dinesh Patel, who submitted a rival bid, are suing over alleged conflicts of interest and running a competing public-relations campaign, while Liberty Junction pushes its own ads touting union jobs and neighborhood revitalization.

A 15-year-old was arrested early Thursday in Springfield, Massachusetts, after a multi-agency task force searching an apartment near 500 Dickinson Street found a loaded AR-style rifle and a loaded ghost gun hidden under his bed, along with additional ammunition. The raid, conducted around 3:40 a.m. under warrant, was part of a Maine State Police investigation into methamphetamine dealing targeting the apartment's residents. No drugs were found, and no one else was arrested; police could not confirm whether the teen was a suspect in the drug probe.

Officers also discovered the teen had cut off a court-ordered GPS monitoring bracelet imposed after a previous firearms arraignment. His name was withheld due to his age, and specific charges had not been released.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno condemned the incident, blaming weakened juvenile justice laws for enabling repeat offenses, while voicing hope the teen would choose a different path. He also reaffirmed support for police and the city's youth development programs.

Claiborne Williams and Richard Mann, principals of FD Stonewater and the Liberty Junction team, are speaking out after months of controversy over their selection as preferred developer for Springfield's new $1.94 billion, 40-year courthouse lease. The pair, chosen by the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance for offering the lowest cost and fastest timeline, have faced lawsuits, accusations of political favoritism, and a grassroots "Fix the Deal" campaign backed by rival bidders Dinesh Patel and James "Jeb" Balise, along with Mayor Domenic Sarno and the Business Improvement District.

A judge recently denied an injunction sought by Patel and Balise to halt negotiations, though their broader lawsuit challenging the procurement process continues, as does an appeal. Gov. Maura Healey has defended the selection process as fair and cost-effective. Mann alleges Patel privately offered to drop objections in exchange for a property purchase, a claim Patel's camp denies. The project aims to replace a deteriorating, mold-contaminated courthouse linked to employee illnesses, including ALS cases, and would create roughly 1,000 construction jobs.

A new economic impact study commissioned by the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke found that the city's St. Patrick's Parade, road race and related events generate about $39.3 million in annual economic output for Hampden and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts. Conducted by Cambridge Econometrics, the study estimated the celebrations support 275 jobs, produce $10.6 million in wages, and create $23.4 million in new local sales after accounting for spending that would have occurred anyway.

The parade drew roughly 350,000 spectators and the road race about 56,000 participants and spectators, including 6,000 runners, with visitor spending topping $23 million. Local businesses, including hotels and restaurants, reported major revenue spikes during the weekend. The study also found the events generate about $2.3 million in state tax revenue and $86,000 for Holyoke, and credited roughly 200 volunteers who contribute about 32,000 hours annually, work valued near $970,000. It was the first study to include the road race alongside the parade.