BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 3-5) — First, allow THE PLANET to wish all our readers and commentators a happy Fourth of July weekend. ‘Tis a grand day marking 250 years of the great experiment that is America. Yums: On the day itself, at the […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 1, 2026) — They chose politics over policy. THE PLANET speaks of the Bitchfield Licensing Board’s five-day suspension of Bei Tempi’s (the former Crossroads) liquor license. The bar will go dry beginning July 6. The board blew it. Yeah, it’s a blow […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 29, 2026) — Clearing off the desk, THE PLANET finds many interesting items on our desk here at the Summer Fortress: “End Game“: President Trump once more threatened to annihilate Iran after the mullahs attacked a British freighter in Hormuz and caused […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 26-8, 2026) — THE PLANET offers no profundities or ditties for the weekend. Instead, we present an “Off Topic” offering. We shall keep the Comment Line open for you to bring up any and all subjects. In short, by definition, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2024) — Now that we’re into official summer, the days begin shortening. THE PLANET finds it as good a time as any to reflect on an interesting political trend that has been shaping party dogma during and since the Obama-Trump-Biden-Trump presidential […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 22, 2026) — Accountability? In the DEI matriarch of Massachusetts? Forget it. Wake up and smell the poseurs. As THE PLANET looks to Boston, we see the skullduggery of state government at full throttle. Remember back in 2024. Voters approved, 72% of […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 1 FRIDAY 6/19: At 9 a.m., THE PLANET received this from the Pittsfield Police Department: On Thursday June 18th 2026 at approximately 8:09pm, multiple Pittsfield Police Department (PPD) officers responded to an area at the intersection of Pleasure Avenue and Tyler Street for a reported shooting. […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2026 — Thoughts while finishing an assignment for the Marine combat training base, 29 Palms, Calif. Teenth Us No Junes — Friday marks the sixth time the United States has observed June 19, Juneteenth, as a federal holiday. The South, Texas […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 15, 2026) — THE PLANET has watched with amusement the hysteria over the World Cup, now being played at venues in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Not since Peter Marhcetti screamed his latest, red-faced “BITCH!!” have we been this excited, except perhaps […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 12-4, 2026) — Today’s guest “editorial” outlines what the writer, Luciano Guadagno, says he has experienced in district court. A much shorter version of this release was published earlier by iBerkshires. THE PLANET prints the entire text. [ED. NOTE, FULL […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY Second of a Two-Part Series (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 10. 2026) — Return with THE PLANET now to those thrilling days of yesterday, when good fellow well met Gerry Doyle succeeded Ed Reilly as mayor. Doyle, who knew how to work a room with the best […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY First of Two Parts (FOrTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 8, 2026) — You have to go back to the Civic Authority debacle to come up with a more blatant example of Bitchfield’s political graft that exceeds the city’s refusal to publish the $155,000 taxpayer-funded “independent” report on […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 5-7, 2026) — Today, THE PLANET achieves a milestone. This marks the 3,000 column in this series. It’s been a run that we didn’t anticipate when it began simply as an online experiment. As the internet grew and cyberspace got […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 1 6/3 — THE PLANET received from Julia Sabourin, chief operating officer of the Berkshire County D.A.’s office, this additional information on the bail situation of defendant Zyrus Jaynes in connection with his August 2025 arraignment on an Assault and battery charge. That is referenced in […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 1, 2026) — Let’s chase to the cut, shall we? At its May 27 meeting, the school committee (SC) voted 4-2 to keep the PHS report hidden, out of the public’s prying eyes. The Kapanskis only paid $155K for the con job, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION MAY 29-31, 2026) — Thoughts while studying for finals: Da D.A.: THE PLANET spent nearly two hours at 7 North St. with D.A. Tim Shugrue getting the lowdown and high down. It’s nice to be able to enter the office and […]
