‘MISS RACHEL’ DECIDES TO CLAM UP
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 4-6, 2026) — THE PLANET has received a lot of feedback from our interview with Commander X, a mid-level command officer of the Pittsfield Police Department. Most of it has been from ordinary citizens, thanking us for sharing the info and providing a look into the operations of a key city operation that the mayor’s office and compliant council apparently want to keep hidden from the public. That in itself spells trouble.
THE PLANET did hear from a council source that the mayor wasn’t pleased about Commander X speaking out, that even with our source being careful about what he/she said and and how he/she said it. Secrecy, veiled threats, and loyalty litmus tests — that’s how spineless politicians wield the power that voters place in their inept, cynical hands. Lack of transparency only invites suspicion from the public.
Any evident pressure from the corner office on the PPD command staff puts the PPD in an awkward position, especially with a new chief. Administrative pressure can only impede public safety by putting undue strategic emphasis on politics. That can never produce a good outcome for Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski. Meanwhile, we are pursuing through back channels more information from the police, and we can say there are forces within the department who want to see more of the truth emerge. Our sense is that there’s a tenuousness in command, one that Commander X likened to tightrope walking.
———- ooo ———-
Given all that, today THE PLANET planned on publishing our interview with a well-respected middle-school teacher, until …
… until the source asked us at the 11th hour NOT to publish. In a long career of investigative journalism, we have NEVER outed or abused a source, and we won’t do it now. Sources are the lifeblood of efforts such as this board, and their wishes rule. In fact, many times we receive information from a well-connected source meant only as background and not to be published. That is how we shall handle this request from our teacher, Miss Rachel (not her real name of course).
Funny thing is that she contacted us. We also don’t know if her decision to pull out related to a series of general staff meetings held by administration both within the local middle-school department and from Mercer. Such meetings are routine prior to the new school year. We’ve heard some rumblings with respect to these meetings, but again, we won’t postulate.
———- ooo ———-
What to make of Miss Rachel’s change of heart? There’s not enough information to make a determination. Simple case of cold feet, even though we guaranteed anonymity? Did the school administration somehow get wind of our talks and convince Miss Rachel to “recant” even though we scrubbed her comments of any ID? Was it the mayor’s office? Someone else? THE PLANET can’t say, and we won’t speculate. We will, however, do some furtive followup with sources in the schools and at Mercer HQ. And let it be clear to our source and everyone else that we respect her decision.
We’ll be sure to let you in on what we can learn.
In the meantime, enjoy, feel free to comment, and have a great weekend, everybody!
———————————————————
“School’s out forever” — Alice Cooper.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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What is the definition of INSANITY?
Answer: Any fool who trusts Pittsfield politics.
To HELL with 90 day grace periods….the BIG beer belly Mayor who hates social media….the Openly Gay nonsense….the marijuana millionaire LUCIFORO’s pot settlement of $341,000….the Victoria May settlement….the hidden 6-figure taxpayer-funded school legal report….Pittsfield’s 2nd highest Commercial Tax Rate in Massachusetts; Holyoke is 1st….the record-breaking city operating budgets….the Mayor’s “War against the Underclass” residents….Lumpy’s temper tantrums….the 15 to 25 empty storefronts on Nothing on North Street….the Level 5 forever public schools that close to 700 students choice out of per academic year…AND…Earl and the 2-Pete’s refusal to speak with blogger Dan Valenti.
Violent Crime has more than doubled the statewide average in Pittsfield since at least 1980. The Pittsfield Police Department is tasked with managing all of the social problems of the city’s large underclass population. Guns shootings have increased to high levels over the past 3 months in Pittsfield. Mayor Beer Belly is missing in action. The police are overwhelmed.
The fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski knows all too well that Pittsfield POLITICS is a cult-town of insiders personalities that give them nightmares when they are not wide awake to watch “the Pitts” slide further into its downward spiral.
It wouldn’t be a day unless JM mentions his BF Nuciforo
He just can’t help himself with that.
I actually at times agree with what he is posting on certain topics until you get to the repetitive Andy part. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know by now how he feels about Andy. There’s no need to include in every post.
WHATEVER! I am NOT the marijuana millionaire who lives full-time in Boston with a $1 million mansion in Pittsfield’s elitist Gated Community close to the Hancock border who pulls the strings in Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield City Hall. Rather, I am on the side of blogger Dan Valenti, the little guy, the fictional Kapanski’s, and all of the common people who live in my native hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Screw you two above posters for taking the side of my Enemy #1 in my adult life.
Sometimes too much is just “too much”…… especially with the,
“Enemy #1 in my adult life.”
Perhaps the mayor will poke his angry nose around to find out who the disenchanted cop is. The one who spoke to you I mean, as there may be many who are disenchanted. And in the process, he may agitate the situation and make others who may be on the fence about their jobs, start job shopping. By making a foolish power move he may make the situation worse, much worse.
On the State level other than Rep. Representative John Barrett ( nominated with a close election) the Berkshire legislative races, state Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Leigh Davis and state Sen. Paul Mark were all unopposed. Hopefully this doesn’t carry over to the City next year, or we can expect more of the same.
RK
Right you are. Unopposed. That’s a death sentence for healthy politics.
Dan, I think the most interesting part of this story is not what Miss Rachel said. We don’t know what she said, and now we apparently won’t. It’s what keeps happening when people inside Pittsfield’s institutions consider speaking publicly.
They look over their shoulder.
Commander X speaks—but needs anonymity. A respected teacher contacts YOU, agrees to talk, gets all the way to publication, and at the eleventh hour decides she can’t do it after all. Was she pressured? We don’t know. You’re right not to speculate, and neither will I.
But forgive me if this movie feels familiar.
Because this is exactly what the Munns spent months trying to warn people about.
Whatever anyone thinks of Gary and Danielle Munn—and Lord knows Pittsfield has had plenty to say—they did the one thing everyone now seems terrified to do: they put their names on it.
They raised concerns. They challenged people in positions of power. They refused to quietly go along when they believed something was wrong. They didn’t hide behind “Commander X.” They didn’t become “Miss Rachel.” They stood there with their own names attached and dared to say, publicly, this isn’t right.
And look at what followed.
Gary lost an eight-year career with the City. Danielle ultimately closed Witch Slapped, a business and community space she had poured herself into. Their reputations were dragged through the mud, their finances were devastated, and their family has spent more than a year fighting through the aftermath.
People can debate whether every consequence was retaliation. That question will ultimately be fought somewhere other than a comment section.
But perhaps Pittsfield should finally consider the warning they were trying to give us:
What happens to people here when they stop being quiet?
Because now we have police personnel who apparently need anonymity. A teacher who wanted to speak and then couldn’t bring herself to let the interview run. Other employees who, as anyone who spends five minutes around City Hall knows, will tell you considerably more in a parking lot than they ever will at a microphone.
At some point, these stop looking like unrelated little stories and start looking like a culture.
The Munns dared to do the right thing as they saw it, openly and under their own names.
They lost damn near everything.
So maybe instead of wondering why “Miss Rachel” clammed up, Pittsfield should be asking a much more uncomfortable question:
Did she look at what happened to the people who didn’t?
Sunlight may be the best disinfectant, Dan.
But first somebody has to be willing to open the damn curtains.
Seeing how the politicians act like they never read The Planet, but then act upon it, shows a much different story. Miss Rachel is the latest example.
I wanted to add a story in case people missed it.
Hopefully Tricia Farley-Country Buffet (d-illegal aliens), the MA State Illegal Aliens Rep, will view this video.
It’s a video of a father who dresses down the illegal aliens first, American last, dumocRATS, after his 5-year-old daughter is left paralyzed by an ILLEGAL ALIEN, driving with a DL given to him by a dumocRAT-led state.
https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2094840968293851222?s=43
NOT ONE DUMOCRAT CALLED MR. COLEMAN, EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER.
Meanwhile, care to comment? Your daily TDS screeds won’t help this family.
Marxist Melle, care to comment? Your communist GF, Maura Healey, has an Illegal aliens first, Americans last policy, that you support.
Keep in mind MM, what you call “Trump’s ICE AGE,” is removing illegal aliens who paralyzed this poor little girl. You do understand that, correct?
Maybe if you had kids, you’d have a better understanding that a parent’s love cannot be replaced by empty anti-Trump messages.
1. Governor Maura Healey is NOT my – Jon Melle’s – “communist GF”.
2. I am a compassionate person.
3. Like Maura Healey, I am saddened by tragic events such as the one you posted about whereby a young girl was paralyzed in a car accident by an illegal immigrant.
4. I agree with your post that it was wrong that not one Democrat called the father to express their concern about his young daughter.
5. Trump’s “ICE Age” has been compared to the pre-early-1940’s era of Hitler’s Holocaust before millions of innocent Peoples were mass murdered by the millions in Nazi Germany’s Genocide whereby an estimated 17 million innocent Peoples tragically lost their lives from early-1940’s until the end of WW2 in 1945. We all should hope that Trump’s “ICE Age” won’t turn into the early-1940’s to end of WW2 era Holocaust.
6. The 2026 midterms election will answer our questions about Trump’s MAGA leadership. If the Democrats win back the majority in U.S. Congress, then Trump will be a lame duck U.S. President.
7. I hope that Governor Maura Healey wins reelection in 2026. I hope that she runs for U.S. President in 2028. I am a proud supporter of Maura Healey in politics.
I cannot believe you honestly posted this and even sadder, is you actually believe it.
“Trump’s “ICE Age” has been compared to the pre-early-1940’s era of Hitler’s Holocaust before millions of innocent Peoples were mass murdered by the millions in Nazi Germany’s Genocide whereby an estimated 17 million innocent Peoples tragically lost their lives from early-1940’s until the end of WW2 in 1945. We all should hope that Trump’s “ICE Age” won’t turn into the early-1940’s to end of WW2 era Holocaust.”
*Who has compared Trump removing illegal aliens from the country that he was overwhelming voted into office to do, to Hitler murdering Jewish people?
*I’d like to review your “source” making this comparison. You post it an awful lot. I can never find this “source.”
*If I were a betting man, it’s made up in your head, much like your 30+ year imaginary war against Andy Nuciforo.
*You do realize Marxist Melle, that is truly an offensive statement to Jewish people. Some who actually lost relatives to Hitler and the Nazi’s.
Because it’s certainly not this fake “Trump ICE Age,” story is it?
Donald Trump and the TIME Magazine Behind the Ice Age Hoax
Have you and your cousin Mayor Pete buried the hatchet to help Gov Maura Healey beat MAGA with gay white guys 4 Healey (gwg4h) rally’s and bumper stickers just change your old VP Harris signs to Gov Healey signs to save money
I tried to post a reply to “M.A.’s” post.
I wrote that J.D. Vance once called Donald Trump “America’s Hitler”. Of course, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance took back his shocking label of the sitting U.S. President.
I asked the poster to please lecture J.D. Vance like he lectured me about me comparing Trump’s “ICE Age” to Hitler’s Holocaust from 1933 until the early-1940’s prior to the mass killings of millions of Peoples from early-1940’s until the end of WW2.
An estimated 17 million Peoples were tragically killed in Nazi Germany’s Holocaust. My point is that we should all hope that Trump’s “ICE Age” will not turn into a later version of Hitler’s Holocaust from early-1940’s until the end of WW2.
I replied to the poster that my source was from a YouTube short video whereby a man explained the parallels.
My intention was not to offend the Jewish People whereby an estimated 6 million Jewish People were tragically murdered in the Holocaust. Nor did I intend to offend the other estimated 11 million Peoples who were tragically murdered in the Holocaust.
I am a disabled Veteran. I served our country Honorably. In college, I studied Human Rights. I hold lofty ideals, but I also know about the real world, along with the over 300,000 years of Human Nature and Human Behavior on Planet Earth.
I have experienced abuse, bullying, and persecution in my life. I am a peer for traumatized people, including at the VA Hospital.
For decades, I write, send political emails, post, and blog about LUCIFORO’s conspiratorial bullying and persecution of me for most of my adult life of 51 years in post-mid-2026.
I do NOT want and I hope NOT to be a later version of the FRAMED Bernard Baran in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. I know that LUCIFORO would like nothing more than to shove it up my – Jon Melle’s – …. I have to avoid visiting Pittsfield and Western Massachusetts because I fear that it would happen to me all over again. Bernard Baran:Dan Ford::Jon Melle:LUCIFORO.
I understand that some illegal immigrants are dangerous criminals. I understand that U.S. Citizens, legal immigrants, and communities across the U.S.A. have been harmed by their harmful activities.
I support law and order. I do NOT support political violence. There is a BIG difference between the two.
I do NOT understand why Dan Valenti’s blog named PlanetValenti.com did NOT publish my earlier post. I should have an opportunity to reply to “M.A.’s” post. Thank you.
Perhaps you would like me to comment on the guy who is in the epstein files over one thousand times and the little girls lives HE made a mess of? Or is it OK with you if those type of people are maga disciples? Do they get a pass in your world? Yes or no?
You’re back on Epstein again Craig?
Epstein, The Iran War, No Kings, Rising Gas Prices, did I leave any out?
Pull your head out of your Trump and think for a minute. If Autopen (Barry’s 3rd term) truly had Trump dead to right on the Epstein List, why didn’t they expose him?
Killary bleached 33,000 incriminating emails, so it’s not past a low-life, dumocRAT to break the law.
the trump epstein sex scandal is not going to die away that easily Markus. Too many horrible things happened and as you can see, starting what may even become a world war is not completely hiding it. And people who defend such behavior are disgusting
The Hissy Fit Heard Across the Cosmos: A Bitchfield Poem
Mayor Lumpy erupted in fury so loud it rattled the gutters of Bitchfield.
Why? Because Commandor X dared speak to Planet Valenti about Lumpy’s favorite hobby:
Hiding from the crime issue like a possum under a porch.
He stomped, he shrieked, he flapped his arms like a malfunctioning parade balloon.
He yelled, “How DARE anyone expose me!”
Then immediately violated the 1st Amendment rights of anyone within a 40‑mile radius.
Especially poor Miss Rachel, who merely said, “Sir, the town is on fire.”
Lumpy replied, “Not anymore — you’re banned from speaking.”
With leaks pouring out of City Hall like gravy from a cracked ladle,
Lumpy scrambled for assistance from his usual trio of disasters:
Bowtie arrived breathless, clutching a clipboard he didn’t know how to use.
Lumpy wailed, “Fix the leaks! Stop the rumors! Silence the critics!”
Bowtie replied, “Sir, I can barely reach the top shelf.”
And so Lumpy stood in City Hall, red-faced and sweaty,
screaming at the ceiling tiles like they owed him money.
His tantrum echoed across Bitchfield, across the stars,
all the way back to Planet Valenti, where Commandor X simply said:
Excellent! Keep them coming.
Precision at its best. Lumpy go home.
The Pittsfield Public Schools are failing because the City Council and School Department are looking out for employees instead of students. We have lost thousands of students, but until this year have never closed a single school. Why pay for employees and buildings? We could have saved millions closing schools decades ago. That saved money could have been spent on education. Stop the blame game Pittsfield, look in the mirror. Next year after your experiment has gone wrong, have a 8th Grade academic wing at PHS and 5, 6 , 7 grade at their neighborhood middle schools. Stop busing kids across town.
Not looking out for their employees well enough apparently. Basketsful of teachers opted out with the kids leaving a shortage of qualified teachers in the system. And many in the basketsful left because they had become basket cases trying to teach in a system systematic of chaos and chronic uncertainy.
Side note: The Berkshire Eagle has started there Go-Fund me campaign. I know they use a different name it’s simply semantics. This is a for profit , shitty locally published rag. Owned by millionaires, who bought it at a fire sale. Why would you give them your hard earned money?
Perhaps they should list the salaries of their top five employees first. Then overall assets and holdings. Amounts of taxes they pay or do not pay. Something for a prospective donor to weigh in his or her decision as to amount to donate.
But with all the “awards” they have been winning why would they need to be begging from folks from a generally low income city during an economic spiral?
I do scan the paper as I get copies from my neighbor every several days. And seriously, and to be helpful to the publishers, there seems very little that effects my life enough that I would pay such money for. Seems to be very little sticking up for the taxpayers, offering ideas where the mayor may make budget cuts. Rather they seem to promote large dubious expenditures which makes me doubt their concern for their own customer base. And if city hall has ever made a boo boo you are unlikely to read it in the Eagle. Why might that be? Do their own editors discuss such things in the boardroom?
The paper, at $2.50 a pop, simply isn’t worth it.
As a youngster I was a paperboy. For the Eagle. And at that time, just one issue had the volume of a whole weeks’ worth of todays issues. Not even kidding.
Eagle was a great paper at one time. Not now. G e left and bye bye. Their sports page was two pages and they also had police reports every day,transparency and district court news for crying out loud.
The only thing the Eagle didn’t or couldn’t get rid of was the free obituary read. What a rag.
but they get it all back in spades if it is YOUR obituary….but many people getting wise and having most of obit directed to the funeral home website..saves a bundle
Dan Valenti,non eagler Bill Mahan and of course Roger O’Gara were the best.
Remember when you actually collected the money from the customer each week.
At that time I was for some reason into collecting pennies etc. coins in general. So I would go through about a hundred dollars worth of change each week looking for pennies to put in my books.
(turned out to be fun at the time but a big waste overall) Who knew there were millions of most all pennies?
I had penny and nickel books too. Sold them at auction.
They have to have contracts for advertising. This rag couldn’t sustain itself on just door to door or even online readership.
and you best not write any letters to the editor about one of their advertisers cuz it be going in the junk file immediately regardless of its merit
GIMME
True that, which is why THE PLANET eschews advertising. We remain unbought and unbossed.
The Eagle (‘fold at the B & E’) is a much better rag than y’all give it credit. Newspapers crashed with the onset of the internet, and the BE has handled the transition pretty well, all things considered. Its left bias blinds everyone to the good job it’s doing in reflecting the main stories of the county, as well as serving the arts and advertising communities pretty well. Its cost is just an unfortunate sign of the times.
Couldn’t disagree more. The paper is as slim as a deli cut. The stories are one sided not only politically either. They are an activist publication. They are surviving with go fund me money. Plus they’re saving on printing costs because subscribers are at an all time low. If only they could get back to unbiased journalism.
and there are a lot of important things you know happened but for whatever reason do not make the paper while other silly stuff fills the pages
If the Eagle were a true journalistic news agency, they would have not let the Bitchfield Pubic Scohol Skandel go.
Pedophiles grooming children they were trusted with the CARE and SAFETY of.
Or maybe, with the millions of federal and state dollars grifted to Bitchfield for social services, affordable housing, rehab/second chance-type facilities, why do the “houseless” and drug addicts make NON and the library unsafe for taxpayers? You know, the people who keep these places afloat.
Where is the money? What is the solution? Blaming Trump reached its expiration date years ago.
Agree. Another great story the Eagle could print is why the Pittsfield yearly budget 40-50 million more than Westfield a City of similar size. Maybe have a spread sheet showing where they are saving money. Would be a great project for a UMass finance students to tackle.
What they did just print was the fact that taxpayers in Great Barrington were going to get a vote on whether the taxpayers want to fund a 20-million-dollar upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant. And what a concept that is huh? The taxpayers actually having a say in huge expenditures. Seems Dalton did that not too long ago as well. Pittsfield may have at one time let the taxpayers chime in but those days have sailed. Mayor pretty much dictates what happens in that burg these days. Occasionally you may see them pretend to seek public opinion but that belongs in the charade category. And what role does the news media play when this happens? Well, they never seem to be on the taxpayers side and that part is clear as day.
If you have been following how the federal government dictates things these days you might observe that Pittsfield seems to like that style.
Lumpy shouldn’t be on Pittsfield school-building needs committee or anything else especially president of the school committee…. isn’t he the one that hires the superintendent? Can you say ethics violation. This McNiece has become a bobble head dunce and has aged at least 10 years since voted to the s c.
Money is up in the next tax cycle.
If you don’t want to blame Trump then don’t promise crap you don’t deliver.
DP, things are bad in USA. Gas and inflation haven’t been this high since Bumble’s Basement Biden was kinda in Office.
and guess what? Gasoline will never ever go below $4 a gallon again. It might hit $8 or $10 but it will never get below four.
The Chinese are huge in electric cars and are now experimenting with putting solar panel’s on the roofs of cars. Trump hates electric cars and the sun in general by the looks of things.
For some reason this all reminds me of the time trump was specifically told NOT to look directly into the sun during a world televised eclipse. So, of course he did and that told you all you needed to know about how well he would do as president of the USA. He was also begged by his top generals NOT to start a war in Iran so, of course, petulant child that he is, he DID. And now America is up to its ass in all kinds of problems as most of the world was hurt by this and hates us deeply. And the shit is going to get deeper people, much deeper. No magic fix for this one no matter what party takes over the government.
and Markus, even though it is not Christmas, I am going to allow you to give me two (2) thumbs down as I know you are pulling your freaking hair out right now. Do it.
Gas over 5$ a gallon, inflation over 9% under Bumbles Biden. No War, no trade war, just go old fashioned incompetence.
and if it cost ten cents it would be worth it
Off Topic – Was just reading the agenda for the upcoming City Council meeting. Why is the Mayor asking for almost $30,000 dollars to pay bills for the “previous year”. Where have these bills for over 9 months? Are they sitting on someone’s desk, this seems to happen every year. Many of these late payments are pertaining to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Taxpayers including Dalton residents are paying more and more for this department and it seems to be getting more and more screwed up. Where is Kerwood, isn’t he the accountant? Do any of our elected City Councillors see an issue with this? Is the City being charged monthly late fees on these bills? Taxpayers deserve an explanation for these constant mess-ups. We are not hearing from the Mayor and won’t, as far as Morales goes, he will flounder threw with an asinine answer. Possibly just ONE City Councillor could look into this. Somewhat doubt one will, but it would be nice.
GREAT questions, M&B, ones that Bitchfield “leaders” will ignore.
Labor Day fireworks is that what I’m hearing tonight.
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