TWO AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER PREVAILING IN COURT AGAINST FLIMSY HARASSMENT SUIT, WE POST A SMALL PORTION OF OUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE OUTRAGEOUS CLAIMS … DONE IN THE INTEREST OF TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY, which are SUMMED UP BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT

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TWO AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER PREVAILING IN COURT AGAINST FLIMSY HARASSMENT SUIT, WE POST A SMALL PORTION OF OUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE OUTRAGEOUS CLAIMS … DONE IN THE INTEREST OF TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY, which are SUMMED UP BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 24, 2012) — The First Amendment has been coming up a lot in our life of late. The most recent example came on Friday, when, on a radio/TV appearance with Shawn Serre of PCTV on “Good Morning, Pittsfield.” Serre asked THE PLANET […]

September 23, 2012 21 Comments

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THE CROOKS OF SUMMER GOT US WONDERING: WHO WON LAST NIGHT’S DEBATE? … WHY SHOULD TAXPAYERS PAY FOR A SECOND SET OF LIGHTS FOR GIRLS SOFTBALL? … WHY IS THE PITTSFIELD SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPEATING ITS SUPT. MISTAKES? … WHY IS IT GOOD FOR NORTH STREET TO MIX A BARROOM AND ADULT GAMING? … WHY IS LIGHTWEIGHT TFB UNOPPOSED? … WHY DID MALUMPHY AND MARCHETTI BOTHER TO SINK PHILLIPS’ SLIM CHANCES ? … and … WHY ARE A TINY HANDFUL OF LENOX SOURPUSSES FIGHTING THE BEAUTIFUL BELVEDERE MONUMENT?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 21, 2012) — Hey, is it fall yet, or do polished metals on the fingers of a rake need more convincing? We might ask, along these same lines, who hijacked summer. Wasn’t it yesterday that April arrived, not at all as the […]

September 21, 2012 61 Comments

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BROWN vs. WARREN: A RACE BEING WATCHED BY WISE BUYS THE NATION OVER … WHY BROWN HAS MADE THE MOST CREDIBLE CONSTRUCT OF HIS CAMPAIGN … plus … NEW MICROSITE REVEALS ‘THE REAL ELIZABETH WARREN’ … DO BROWN OPPONENTS DARE LOOK?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 20, 2012) — Scott Brown vs. Elizabeth Warren: the race is one of the most closely watched in the nation outside of the battle for the presidency. You don’t think President Barack Obama and the Democratic brain trust had Warren delivering a prime […]

September 20, 2012 40 Comments

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IN THE LONG LITANY OF PAST FAiLURES, GIACOMETTI TELLS THE SAD STORY OF ANOTHER LOST GEM: THE TRIBECCA FILM FESTIVAL AND ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP ROCK/POP VENUES.

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012) — In the long litany of tipping points, where Pittsfield zigged when it should have zagged, we have a kind of connect-the-dots game. When the lines are drawn, a picture emerges of municipal failure. The meltdown from success and vitality […]

September 19, 2012 24 Comments

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PEDA: TO INSURE OR NOT TO INSURE, BUT AGAINST WHAT? … QUICK HITS AND HOT LICKS LOOKS AT COMMISSION APPTS (FRIERI AND POLICE BOARD) & WARREN PEACE, or, HOW CAN ELIZABETH CLAIM TO BE REPRESENTING MARY JANE AND JOE KAPANSKI?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2012) — It’s been 14 years the creation of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA). Progress, once the most important product for PEDA’s illustrious successor — General Electric Co. — has been painfully slow. That’s an understatement of the order that […]

September 18, 2012 43 Comments

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LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE CONCERT: A TIME FOR MEMORIES AND REMEMBRANCE … THOSE WHO PLAYED DID SO IN THE NAME OF ALL WHO COULDN’T … RECOLLECTIONS OF QUARRY, ESPECIALLY THE SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN DAVE CARRON AND MICK VALENTI

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 17, 2012) — “So many people have come and gone. Their faces fade as the years go by.” That song, by the band Boston, came to mind while reflecting on the magic afternoon and evening spent with friends one week and a […]

September 15, 2012 17 Comments

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!PLANET EXCLUSIVE! NEW INFORMATION ON NILAN-MOORE CASE: REVISED SEQUENCE OF MEREDITH NILAN’S ACTIVITIES AFTER SHE LEFT ALLIUM’S ON THE NIGHT OF DEC. 8 … GOOD NEWS ON TOBY MOORE: HE CAN NOW WALK PAST THE SPOT WHERE HIS MASTER ALMOST DIED AFTER BEING HIT BY NILAN’S SUV … plus … SOURCE SAYS NILANS HAVE MADE AN OFFER TO THE MOORES TO SETTLE OUT OF COURT

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 14, 2012) — After all being quiet on the “western front” of the Nilan-Moore Case, new information has emerged that purports to provide a more complete, though not definitive picture, of what happened on the fateful evening of Dec. 8, 2011, and […]

September 14, 2012 53 Comments

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LINDA TYER SHOWS WHY SHES ACES AS CITY CLERK, SUPPLYING INFO HIDDEN BY THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS … COUNCILOR CLAIRMONT: ‘I DON’T LIKE THINKING THE MAYOR ISN’T A TRUTHFUL PERSON’ … ADULT LEARNING CENTER LEASE OUT TO BID AGAIN THANKS TO LEGAL ACTION BY MASSERY … plus … MR. MITT GOES ON THE COUNTER-ATTACK

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12, 2012) — THE PLANET received this e-mail from Linda Tyer, Pittsfield’s city clerk. It illustrates how Tyer has made that office her own, which is to say, one of the offices on city side that operates more or less at full […]

September 11, 2012 51 Comments

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THE REVIEWS ARE IN: LEGENDS CONCERT WAS A SMASH SUCCESS … PLANET POST A ROUNDUP OF COMMENTS … plus …SONGLISTS OF A LEGEND … BOYS’ CLUB CONCERT SHOULD BE AN ANNUAL AFFAIR

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 11, 2012) — Here are some comments from various FB pages on the Legends of the Lighthouse concert held on Sunday, 9/9/12. — my oh my..the stars all aligned sunday sept 9th..everything rocked~ RICK FETRIDGE — We owe a huge thank you to Bill […]

September 11, 2012 34 Comments

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LIGHTHOUSE REuNION JUST FAB … DYNASTIC NE PATRIOTS GET OFF ON RIGHT FOOT IN TENNESSEE … PITTSFIELD CITY COuNCIL ACTION ON ‘UNITED v. FEC’ A WASTE OF TIME, MONEy, & ENERGY … COUNCIL RAISES WATER AND SEWER RATES IN SHIRE CITY ANOTHER 2.5%

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 10, 2012) — Just a quick word on the Legends of the Lighthouse reunion concert at the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club: fabulous! THE PLANET doesn’t know the official attendance figure, but we eyeballed maybe 1,500. We ran into so many friends […]

September 9, 2012 40 Comments

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HARRIS, NEAL VICTORIES CAME WITH EXPECTATIONS … HARRIS WON BY BEING HERSELF, A ‘NON-POLITICIAN’ COMING ACROSS AS THE MOST KNOWLEDGABLE … NEAL COULD HAVE BEEN HAD, BUT NUCIFORO’S PLAGIARISM MISTAKE PREVENTED IT … plus … !!!A PLANET EXCLUSIVE!!! FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE LENOX DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE … READ THE CONTENT OF THREE FED-UP LETTERS OF RESIGNATION

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 7, 2012) — Congratulations are in order for the campaigns of Patsy Harris and Richard Neal. Respectively, they won the Democratic primary races for register of deeds in middle Berkshire County and 1st District U.S. representative to Congress. Barring an act of […]

September 7, 2012 51 Comments

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COUNCIL PREZ KEVIN SHERMAN ADDRESSES ‘THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE’ IN WAKE OF THE COUNCIL-MAYORAL TIFF OVER SPECTRUM … 4th of JULY PARADE COMMITTEE ATTACK AGAINST HARRIS WILL BACKFIRE (DIRTY POLITICS FROM THE PHILLIPS CAMPAIGN?)

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 2012) — THE PLANET put several questions to city council president, our Right Honorable Good Friend Kevin Sherman, regarding the rift between and among three councilors members (who may be speaking for others) and Mayor Dan Bianchi over Spectrum Health Services. […]

September 6, 2012 30 Comments

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PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE: PESKY COULD BE MORE THAN PESKY … plus … THREE ITEMS FROM THE LAND OF THE LOST, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TOWN OF LENOX

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5, 2012) — A couple of quick points before launching into topics du jour. First, tomorrow is election day. It’s extremely odd it should fall on a Thursday, and we shall see how this affects turnout. The two key races are the […]

September 5, 2012 48 Comments

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COUNCIL-MAYORAL RIFT RE: SPECTRUM — PUT FEELINGS ASIDE, PURSUE THE FACTS, AND BECOME STATESMANLIKE … PRESSURE, AND A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, IS ON KEVIN SHERMAN … A LONE RANGER JEST … plus … TV STUDIO AT REID THE LASTEST IN PITTSFIELD’S EDUCATIONAL DUMBING DOWN

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 4, 2012) — THE PLANET appreciates the comments directed our way based on our coverage of the council-mayoral rift regarding the Spectrum settlement deal. It was a large undertaking, and we would offer that as Exhibit A that this website, more than any […]

September 1, 2012 44 Comments

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!PLANET EXCLUSIVE! BOMBSHELL DISCLOSURES IN SPECTRUM CASE: (1) CITY ALSO AGREED TO PAY COMPANY AN ADDITIONAL $76,500 TO RELOCATE and (2) TWO SECRET SESSIONS HELD … WE SHARE WHAT WENT ON OUT OF PUBLIC VIEW … plus … a STEP-BY-STEP WALK THROUGH THE CRUCIAL TIMELINE OF WHO KNEW WHAT AND WHEN

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary NOTE: THIS VERSION HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY EDITED AND IMPROVED FROM THE ORIGINAL POST OF EARLIER ON FRIDAY, AUG. 31, 2012. THIS IS THE ‘LIVE’ VERSION, AND WE REQUEST THAT ANYONE WHO IS uSING THE PREVIOUS ONE TO DISCARD AND WORK FROM THIS VERSION OF WHAT IS AN […]

August 31, 2012 45 Comments

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PLANET STILL IN THE BERKSHIRES AND NOT HANGING WITH MITT IN TAMPA … KRATKA KRAPS OUT AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH TODAY’S CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE ON WBEC (KRAT KAVES IN TO NEAL’s $$) … SPECTRUM-CITY PROBE TURNS UP A CACHE OF DOCUMENTS, AND THEREIN LIES THE NARRATIVE … OUR OLD NEWSPAPER ADAPTS WITH THE TIMES … plus … THE MARINE CORPS TAKES ON THE ISSUE OF WOMEN IN COMBAT ROLES

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, AUG. 30, 2012) — No, we are not in Tampa, Fla. No, we didn’t take a chartered jet out of Pittsfield airport last night. We met with that ridiculous rumor yesterday and proved it not true by showing up in the flesh at […]

August 30, 2012 28 Comments

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