Planet Valenti

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 25, 2014) — THE PLANET heard briefly from councilor at-large Barry Clairmont yesterday, still off on his Rocky Mountain hegira. Clairmont offered a quick reaction to the recent events concerning 100gate. Understand, at 11,000 feet, we consider any reaction a bonus. He […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2014) — Picking up the pieces of a busy day, where continents of sand had to wait for the arrival of their king (obligatory cryptic note), THE PLANET shares two nuggets for thought. The first is on our resident tempest and […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 23, 2014) — Yesterday, we posted on agenda item 11, scheduled for tonight’s meeting of the Pittsfield City Council. In it, Mayor Dan Bianchi will make a presentation on the move of offices from city hall to 100 North St., a move […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 22, 2014) — Tomorrow night, if the center continues to fall apart, our Right Honorable Good Friends on the Pittsfield City Council shall face a tipping point. After this vote, citizens will know where councilors stand: Are they for We The People […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, SEPT. 19-21, 2014) — What in the name of Fred Fahey and Jim Mooney is going on at the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club? THE PLANET‘s spies, including several sources closely involved at the old brick building on Melville Street  and “a heartbeat […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary Don’t forget to tune in tonight for another thrill-packed adventure of PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION. We will mop the floor with The MOP and perform other astounding feats. Channel 16, tonight, live, 7 to 8 p.m. Replays Friday at 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 11 p.m. and […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT., 17, 2014) — The Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts started out as a one-off in 1950, when Bill Rosenburg opened his shop in Quincy, Mass. Today, the company describes itself as “the world’s leading baked goods and coffee chain, serving more than 3 […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 16, 2014) — THE PLANET presents a new Greedysburg Address: Floor score and seventy plus twenty thousand dollars ago, our Mayor brought forth to 70 Allen Street a new flooring, conceived in vanity and dedicated to the proposition that all men are […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 15, 2014) — The transcript reads as follows: THE PLANET: Mr. Chairman, point of order. CHAIR: Proceed. PLANET: We request the floor. CHAIR: Chair acknowledges THE PLANET. We give THE PLANET the floor. ——– 000 ——– Well, it sort of went that […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, SEPT. 12-14, 2014) — The new Batmobile from Batman v Superman has been unveiled. A Real Housewives of New Jersey couple are headed for prison and have put their mansion up for sale. Britney has signed up for Tinder All that, and the Ray […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 11, 2014) — The city has hired a new director for Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Her name is Kristine Hurley, who has been DPI’s manager for the past three years. Hurley spoke of her appointment — announced when DPI issued a prepared statement […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2014) — Water, water everywhere, and not a drop for taxpayers. We might call this the latest episode in “TES: Water on the Brain.” (An aside: If you see The Worried Man, a.k.a., The MOP [The Mayor of Pittsfield] today, ask him how well the robocalls […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ——– 000 ——– !NEWS FLASH!— THE PLANET breaks into its usual coverage to share with you two thing we have learned about fired city veteran’s agent Rosanne Frieri. First, the city tried to reach a settlement with her. That failed. Second, Frieri is filing a lawsuit stemming […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, SEPT. 5-7, 2014) — One of the courses on The Old Professor‘s class schedule is “Tumultuous Decade: America in the 1960s.” Do we like it? Why, sir or madam, we have fallen in love with it. Imagine THE PLANET‘s delight to be […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary EDITOR’S WARNING!! CAUTION: The following article contains generalizations. They are valid ones and not hasty, but THE PLANET realizes that in this age of political correctness, words can incapacitate the ability of a small but loud minority to entertain thoughts deeper than Kim Kardashian. We do not […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 2, 2014) — The much-anticipated showdown over “100gate” between our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council, particularly councilor-at-large Barry Clairmont, and the mayor will not take place tonight, THE PLANET has learned. THE PLANET also has heard from tenants at […]