By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015) — Is the other sneaker about to drop for the local daily once proudly known as The Berkshire Eagle? One must wonder in light of a report on the dismissal of three editorial employees at The Boring Broadsheet and the […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2015) — Those of you who still bother to read the latest drivel in The Boring Broadsheet “learned’ yesterday that Kevin Swail (rhymes with “fail”) left his post in the Pittsfield Highway Department for the cooler climes of Lanesboro. Stop the presses! Those […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015) — There will be no Brien Center strike on July 6. That’s what sources are telling THE PLANET. Management negotiations with Brien staff have gone on for a fruitless year. The contract between Brien and SIEU Local 509 expired in October last […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 26-28, 2015) — One Thursday, THE PLANET enjoyed a long, leisurely breakfast at The Red Lion Inn with two of Pittsfield most loyal and successful native sons. Our deliberations, moreover, summoned the memory of a third favorite and famous son. We speak […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2015) — In the breach, briefly: Rosenberg and Guildenstern are Dead — Senate President Stan Rosenberg graced the Berkshires with his eminence yesterday, all aglow from the radiated rump kissing he received from assorted “players,” wanna-bes, and sycophants. Stan’s a Top Dawg […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015) — When revisionist history meets political correctness, you can be sure a hasty and usually mistaken overreaction will result. Hence the hysteria over the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, a banner mistakenly called the flag of the Confederate […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2015) — Politics as a study in human behavior will always fascinate us, but we ourselves remain immune to the toxic effects of power. We employ our influence solely for the surrogate use of Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, the forgotten Little […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 19-21, 2015) — On Thursday, THE PLANET informed you of how the courageous voters of Cheshire told its avaricious public school system: “Enough, already!” Voters rejected the school budget put forth by the school committee and Supt. Kristen Gordon that called […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015) — In towns and communities throughout Berkshire County this year, voters have slapped back greedy initiatives advanced by local school departments, teachers’ unions, and their bobo politicians. Their message: “Enough is enough!” Two examples will suffice. Last year, South County […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015) — THE PLANET recently (and exclusively) told you about the hot water former Pittsfield Water Department manager Matt Inhelder has evidently gotten himself into in the Town of Hadley. You will recall that Inhelder “resigned” his position in Pittsfield six […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2015) — Campaigns have turned into Death Marches for the electorate. Presidential campaigns now run spill over into the fourth year. Literally the day after Barack Obama turned back Mitt Romney to win a second term, he became a lame duck, and […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015) — On this Flag Day, THE PLANET‘s thoughts go back to the four years in the early 2000s that we were honored to deliver the keynote address at ceremonies at the National Archives. Each year, we would gather our thoughts […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 12-14, 2014) — Last night Pittsfield citizens and taxpayers got a chance to see JIV in action. The superintendent the Town of Lee couldn’t wait to put in the James Bond ejection seat basically called the millions more his school department […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI Sports and Commentary ADD 1 — Tonight, tune into PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION, featuring another round of guest-host Terry Kinnas, with Special Guests. The fun begins at live 7 p.m. channel 16 Time-Warner cable from the PCTV studios. Also tonight, our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council preside over […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015) — Public schools have gotten so bad in Holyoke and school apologists there have refused for so long to take steps to improve the situation that the state will bring in what it calls an “independent education expert” to replace […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1, TUESDAY MORNING — THE PLANET has just received word from our spies that Pittsfield Highway Department head Kevin Swail (rhymes with “fail”) gave public works chief Bruce Collingwood his two-week notice this morning. Sources say Swail has taken a position with the Lanesboro Water Department. […]
