Planet Valenti

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, FEB. 28, 2013) — On this final day of February, we hearken to the upcoming spring, sensing a new wind moving in from the south, mounted with firm, unyielding tread. This just may be the wind of change the city of Pittsfield has […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY FEB. 27, 2013) — Time to empty out the notebook and address some issues point blank in this edition of THE PLANET‘s Quick Hits and Hot Licks. And yes: the current issue of Berkshire Magazine has an interview with THE PLANET. You’ll want to […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, FEB. 26, 2013) — The answer to yesterday’s quiz on whether councilor-at-large Melissa Mazzeo kept her 2011 campaign promise about pushing for a reopening of the GE Consent Agreement is: ( x ) All of the above. To refresh your memory, on Feb. 17, […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 25, 2013) — In the 2011 municipal campaign, THE PLANET ran a series of articles connected to the GE Consent Agreement, hammered out during a one-sided wrestling match between two buildings of GE lawyers — some of the highest priced legal talent […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, FEB. 22, 2013) — Okay, now that THE PLANET has your attention on the massive amount of money — at least $330,750,000 million — taxpayers owe in future pension and OPEB obligations to public employee retirees, we share another way in which Mary […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, FEB. 21, 2013) — Do you think the situation in the Pittsfield Public Schools is what they lead you to believe? For example, here’s the PPS official drug policy: G. POLICY ON DRUGS For the purposes of this handbook, the term drug includes […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20, 2013) — We shall squeeze one more day out of our column on pension and OPEB debt, future obligations negotiated by our “public servants” with the bill due to taxpayers. In Pittsfield, the sum is at least $330,725,000. That was the […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 18, 2013) — THE PLANET has toothy, satisfying memories of the Onota Building on North Street, for that is where, for 30 years, we went to the dentist. Dr. Charles Volk, D.D.S., looked like Robert Vaughan, had a witty chair-side manner perfect […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, FEB. 15, 2013) — Since PEDA and Mayor Dan Bianchi seem to be putting a lot of money on its bet on Nuclea Biotechnologies at PEDA, questions about the company continue to surface. We explore this question a bit more today, but we […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, FEB. 14, VALENTINE’s DAY, 2014) — Let the epitaph read: ‘Pope Benedict XVI, too pooped to pope.” Depending on who you listen to, he’s either a quitter or a wise man. THE PLANET thinks the latter. Benny took this thankless job when he […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13, 2013) — How appropriate that on this first day of Lent the disarrayed hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church finds itself dealing with a lame-duck pontiff. Pope Benedict‘s resignation shocker comes at a time when the Church, through the stubborn resistance […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, FEB. 12, 2013) — How bad did Pittsfield panic during the dud of Snowmageddon? So bad, that when Pope Benedict XVI got wind of it, he thought it best to resign. After hearing of the imposition of martial law in Pittsfield for a !foot […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 11, 2013) — Guess what? It snowed. In New England. In February. True, Long Island Sound and the coast up to Boston got hit, but here in the Berkshires, what, a foot, foot and a half, maybe? We’ve had a million storms […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, FEB. 8, 2013) — This most difficult week is over, with my father-in-law’s illness, death, wake, and funeral occurring in dizzying fashion. About the wake, the turnout for Michael C. Baccoli was nothing short of amazing. The doors opened at 4 and went […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5-6, 2013) — THE PLANET will not rush back into full swing until we are full ready. That’s based on the wise advice of one of our loyal correspondents, Giacommetti. With “Know thyself” having been one of our life-long mottoes, two words […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB 4, 2013) — Again, thanks for all the folks who sent in their kind wishes and condolences. We are at that stage of life now where this sort of this is becoming too familiar — sickness and death of loved ones. Nonetheless, […]