By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (ED. NOTE: We close out this year with a final column on the looming “unfunded liability” crisis threatening to swallow Pittsfield. We began with a two-part series on the OPEB problem. Today, we take a closer look at the pension situation. Be advised that this will be […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary Second of Two Parts (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, DEC. 30, 2014) — Virtually alone among local media, THE PLANET has been hammering on OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) for at least four years now, on this site, on radio, and on TV. OPEB refers to benefits other than pensions for […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary First of a Two-Part Series (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 29, 2014) — Back in the 1980s, when the 21st century sounded more in the realm of George Jetson than Dan Bianchi, Pittsfield’s OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) funding deadline was 2018. As a starting point, let’s define OPEB. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ED. NOTE: The following tale was adapted from a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern that was the basis of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. Note that THE PLANET will take a Christmas break. Our next new column will be published on Monday, Dec. 29, […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, DEC. 23, 2014) — As THE PLANET exclusively revealed yesterday, city solicitor Kathy Degnan was ordered 12 days ago to turn over all responsive documents requested by iBerkshires in connection with the Human Rights Commission‘s handling of allegations of racism made by a […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 22, 2014) — Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got one brewing, a real knee slapper. Once again, The Bianchi Administration has been conked over the noggin (as we used to say on the streets, given “a wood shampoo”) by the Public Records Division […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, DEC. 19-21, 2014) — You blinked and therefore missed the announcement of a meeting regarding the building of a new Taconic High School. The city of Pittsfield and the School Building Needs Commission (SBNC) wants you, The Little Guy, to participate fully in […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, DEC. 18, 2014, 2014) — You gotta love it. Pope Francis was recently asked during audience to comfort a little boy who had just lost his beloved dog. In St. Peter’s Square, Francis told the lad that “paradise is open the all God’s creatures.” […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17, 2014) — Let’s scan some of the routine, daily happenings in Podunk Paradise: A police stand-off on Stoddard Avenue involving a 20-year-old young man with a gun, threatening his mama because she wouldn’t let him have the car. A Bronx man accused […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, DEC. 16, 2014) — When Mayor Dan Bianchi began the arduous task of trying to sell — who, exactly, since it was a Done Deal? — the questionable move of transporting city hall offices to 100 North St., he used as an example […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 15, 2014) — It can never be good when the hottest expanding business in a city’s downtown is the criminal courts. Nonetheless, that appears to be the case in orphaned Pittsfield, Mass. THE PLANET says orphaned, because The Land of Benigno Numine […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, DEC. 12-14, 2014) — In trying to dissect the issues involved in the automatic enactment of the mayor’s administrative order to undo “The Barrett Reforms” of public works and return DPW pretty much to the same setup it had prior to Der […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, DEC. 11 [ONLY A LITTLER LATER THAN NORMAL], 2014) — Yes, there will be PV-TV tonight. Tune in at 7 p.m., won’t you, as THE PLANET parades before four hot TV cameras, live, without a duke of an idea of what he will […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, DATE, 2014) — THE PLANET was saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend Laura Valenti. Laura, a great booster for the city and particularly its downtown, came into our sphere in the 28 years (1980-2008) we ran our businesses from suites […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, DEC. 9, 2014) — As the recent national events has shown, America is still incapable of having an intelligent discussion on race. Too many people are unwilling or unable to drop the pretexts and prejudices that preclude the neutral approach to interpersonal relations that […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ——– 000 ——– BULLETIN! Allow THE PLANET to break into this story at a little before 6 p.m. Monday Dec. 8. Speaking of break, we shall break the story that Jon Lester has opted not to re-rsign with the Boston Red Sox in favor of the pitch […]
