Netflix members in the Greater Boston area receive the very best streaming experience if they subscribe to RCN, according to the first Regional Netflix ISP Speed Index Snapshot published today by Netflix Inc., the world's leading Internet television network. In the second quarter of 2013, the average speeds for Netflix streams on the RCN network outperformed other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by as much as 70%. This means that those Netflix members who were also RCN customers enjoyed better picture quality, quicker access to their favorite TV shows and movies, and more reliable playback Continue reading >>>

Boston Magazine recently ranked the school systems in the Greater Boston area, and learned something Needham parents may already know: the local schools are good.On the list, Needham's schools ranked #32 out of the schools ranked. The magazine rated 147 school districts in the Greater Boston area in its annual “Best Schools” list published on Monday. The rankings were based off nearly two dozen factors, including enrollment, average class size, graduation rate and SAT scores.The school system has a graduation rate of 95.4 percent, with 88.6 percent going on to college, according to Boston.com's Continue reading >>>

Kicking the political season into high gear, labor leaders and elected officials gathered Monday for the annual Labor Day breakfast, pledging a renewed fight for working families and calling for an increase in the minimum wage. “Nobody should work full time and still live in poverty,” US Senator Elizabeth Warren said to loud applause before several hundred people at the holiday event, hosted by the Greater Boston Labor Council. In a series of spirited speeches, Warren and other elected officials vowed to lobby on workers’ behalf, saying that years of stagnant wages and benefits had taken Continue reading >>>

It may still technically be summer. But thanks to several clinics around the Greater Boston region, area youths will have the chance to hit the ice this month.The Boston Bruins are hosting six hockey clinics called G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Learn) aimed to provide free skating and hockey instructions. Several of the sessions are close enough that it may be worth a drive out of Woburn to take advantage of the cost-free opportunity.Equipment will be provided at the clinics, including skates and helmets, in order to give skaters of any level the opportunity to experience the game of hockey.According to Continue reading >>>

Tewksbury Public Schools ranked 107th in the Boston Magazine Best Schools list in the September 2013 issue.According to Boston Magazine, 65 percent of Tewksbury students achieved proficiency (scoring 3-5) on AP exams with 79.7 percent of Wilmington students going on to attend college.Tewksbury has a 91.5 percent graduation rate, according to Boston Magazine, with total enrollment at 3,805.Other Tewksbury statistics reported by the magazine include:Per pupil expenditures -- $12,068Average class size-- 20.6SAT Reading-- 507SAT Writing-- 498SAT Math-- 511Check out where some nearby towns Continue reading >>>

Attorney General Martha Coakley said today she plans to decide by the end of September whether to jump into the race to replace Gov. Deval Patrick, a sign the post-Labor Day political push is already underway in the Bay State’s most closely watched campaign.Coakley, speaking to reporters at the Greater Boston Labor Council’s annual Labor Day Breakfast, emphasized she is still “seriously considering” whether to run — without offering any more insight on whether the months spent mulling have pushed her closer to a campaign for the Corner Office.Asked when she would decide, Coakley said, Continue reading >>>

BOSTON (AP) - U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey joined union leaders for Boston's annual Labor Day Breakfast. The breakfast was scheduled for Monday morning at the Park Plaza Hotel and is sponsored by the Greater Boston Labor Council. The breakfast traditionally provides politicians a chance to affirm their support of labor issues. A top issue this year is a proposed ballot question to raise the state's minimum wage from $8 to $10.50 an hour over two years and index future increases to the rate of inflation. Supporters are hoping to place the question on next year's ballot. Copyright Continue reading >>>

Boston Magazine recently released its ranking of school districts in the Greater Boston area, and Woburn Public Schools came in outside of the Top 100 on the list.Woburn came in at No. 113, to be exact, while nearby schools in the area were slightly further down on the list. Burlington was ranked No. 76, Wilmington was No. 84 and Reading was No. 50 in the list, which was topped by No. 1 Dover.The magazine ranked 147 districts in Greater Boston in its annual “Best Schools” edition, which hit newsstands last week. The rankings were based on 20 different categories, such as average class size, Continue reading >>>

Boston Magazine recently released its ranking of school districts in the Greater Boston area, and Reading Public Schools made an appearance in the Top 50.Reading was in at No. 50, to be exact, while nearby schools in the area were slightly further down on the list. North Reading came in at No. 60, Wilmington was ranked No. 84 and Woburn was No. 113 in the list, which was topped by No. 1 Dover.The magazine ranked 147 districts in Greater Boston in its annual “Best Schools” edition, which hit newsstands last week. The rankings were based on 20 different categories, such as average class size, Continue reading >>>