Owner of Hub Comics Dies, City's Bond Rating Rises

Shape Up Somerville is in a national competition to win money from the federal government. The competition ends May 31, and Somerville is in second place to Brownsville, Texas. On Friday the city initiated a last-minute push in an attempt to get votes and win the competition.

James Welborn, owner of Hub Comics in Union Square, died Monday after spending about a week in the hospital. His death was seemingly the result of a self poisoning, though the cause of death was still being investigated.

There has been an outpouring of support from members of the community..

It's a sign that summer is here. The farmers market in Davis Square opened for the 2011 season. .

The credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's raised Somerville's credit rating from A+ to AA-, citing healthy reserve funds, fiscal responsibility and the city's proximity to Boston.

The MassChallenge entrepreneur competition attracted over 700 entries, which were narrowed down to 125 finalists this past week. Residents Brendan Kearney, of RaceMenu, and Nathan Rothstein, of Swellr.com, were part of business teams chosen as finalists. Their companies could win $50,000 or $100,000 in October.

The excitement for this is palpable. After a pilot program in Ward 5 that was deemed a success, the city is looking to expand single-stream recycling to the whole city. Single-stream recycling would allow residents to throw all their recyclable goods—glass, paper, cardboard, plastic—into one large container, as opposed to sorting it into separate small containers.

Hold your excitement, though. City officials are still ironing out the details and exploring the costs and logistics. That said, Mayor Joseph Curtatone said the program could be in place this fall.