Archive | September, 2019
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‘SPACELY SPACE SPROCKETS’ PLAY FOR PUBLIC MONEY: JUST ANOTHER FLIM IN THE FLAM?

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY SEPT. 30, 2019) — “Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Ship Pittsfield, whose four-year mission is to explore new scams, seek out new hustlers, and boldly go where most mayors have gone before: Into the Kapanskis pockets.” So […]

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TRANSCRIPT ON UKRAINE SUGGESTS WHISTLEBLOWER IS BLOWING IN THE WIND

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 27-9, 2019) — The new business courting Pittsfield, Spacely Space Sprockets, tempted THE PLANET for The Weekend Edition. Alas, space provides too big a topic with not enough information, though the early signs are troubling, especially Mr. Spacely’s threat to […]

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PLANET EXCLUSIVE! MAZZEO CLARIFIES ALLEGATION OF JOB PROMISE TO GRAVES … plus … CAMPAIGN ’19 HAS ONLY ONE ISSUE

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25, 2019) — There are only three issues to Campaign ’19 in Pittsfield. All other public problems and social concerns serve as offshoots. Before that, however, mayoral candidate and councilor-at-large contacted THE PLANET with a statement relating to claims that she promised […]

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SNOWFLAKES WEASLE ANOTHER DAY OF HOOKY, CALLING IT ‘CLIMATE PROTEST’ (YEAH, RIGHT)

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY SEPT. 23, 2019) — So the lil’ high school snowflakes got their free day off. Bully for them. They disguised it as a “protest,” as if they would know the first thing about actual remonstrance. Of course, intimidated public school administrators, having lost […]

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EVEN OUTSIDE UTOPIA, IN THE ‘REAL WORLD,’ THERE ARE LIFE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 20-22, 2019) — That was the week that was. This one will be, too. Last weekend, THE PLANET visited the campus of Syracuse University, where we addressed students in the journalism, business, and engineering schools. We told them nothing of […]

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PLANET CALLS IT, RIGHT DOWN THE LINE: MAZZEO, TYER MOVE ON TO THE FINALS

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 18, 2019) — THE PLANET yawned along with 78% of the electorate yesterday for a sleep study known at the Pittsfield preliminary election. Every race turned out as we predicted. With 6,078 voters of an electorate total of 27,893 (22%), you can […]

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!!ELECTION DAY PLANET EXCLUSIVE!! CANDIDATES ON CRIME: MAZZEO ‘WANTS OUR NEIGHBORHOODS FREE FROM TYRANNY’ … TYER CITES ‘COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN PPD AND D.A.’

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY [ED. NOTE: When THE PLANET went to press late Sunday evening with the first edition of this story, we had not heard from the Tyer campaign. Our initial story reflected that. At 9 a.m. Monday, Mayor Tyer got back to us with her responses. We present them […]

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D.A.’s ‘TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE’ POLICY WILL WORSEN PITTSFIELD’s CRIME WAVE … MAZZEO WANTS ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, SOMEWHERE-ANYWHERE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, SEPT. 13-15, 2019) — One of the great lies being shoved down the gullets of Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski is the counter-intuitive approach to crime being championed by the radical left — politicians, jurists, social activists — in Massachusetts. […]

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IDLE THOUGHTS WHILE PONDERING ARRIVALS AND DESTINATIONS

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, STILL OFF THE MAP, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 11, 2019) — THE PLANET, here at the most remote and idyllic camp this side of Breezely Bruin’s Camp Frostbite, nonetheless maintains a link to civilization. Some of our spies have been in contact, with the county’s top […]

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FROM THE WILD WOOD: BABY, YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR or MORE MASS. MADNESS

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, OFF THE MAP SOMEWHERE, MONDAY SEPT. 9, 2019) — To James and all, THE PLANET is still out of civilization and enjoying every microsecond. We are not, however, out of touch, thanks to Al Gore’s invention of the internet. It’s interesting that — in […]

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ONCE MORE TO THE LAKES

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 6-8, 2019) — Calling to mind E.B. White’s brilliant essay “Once More to the Lake,” THE PLANET has taken flight, this one to a lake district so remote that a couple of the bodies of water aren’t even on a map. […]

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MORE WEST SIDE CHAOS SPILLS ONTO NORTH STREET … MAZZEO ISSUES STATEMENT … WYNN, HARRINGTON CONTINUE TO FAIL THE PUBLIC … KILLER(S) STILL ON THE LOOSE, CITIZENS STILL IN THE DARK

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 4, 2019) — “And the beat goes on.” Yesterday, at 3:29 a.m., gunshots were heard at Daniels Avenue and Union Street. Police “recovered evidence of a shooting” there, according to Pittsfield police Lt. John Soules. Officer Lupisella spotted a Jeep Cherokee driven […]

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IT’S LABOR DAY, A DAY FOR NO LABOR BUT ALSO A DAY TO ‘HAVE YOUR SAY’

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, LABOR DAY, 2019) — Can we all take a breath for a moment? The recent spade of mayhem, murder, and violence has the city of Pittsfield on edge. Meanwhile, its top officials tell everyone that everything’s A-OK. Choose to believe what you will, but […]

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