BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY AUG. 2, 2016) — The state rep’s race in in Pittsfield pits two Democrats —incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Michael Bloomberg — and and one independent, Chris Connell. The incumbent and Bloomberg square off in September for the right to battle Connell in November. In […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY JULY 12, 2016) — After Mayor Linda Tyer submitted an all-time record high budget for the FY17 fiscal year now well under way, she did not seal the city’s economic fate. Once again, We The People had too few allies in the city council. The […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY !PV COLUMN #1,500! (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, JULY 29-31, 2016) — The reading public delighted THE PLANET yesterday with its response to our column about the downtown’s painted electrical boxes. It’s our goal every time we write here, donating our talents to discriminating folks so […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JULY 28, 2016) — Over the weekend, one of our posters asked THE PLANET to write again about the painting of electrical boxes downtown. THE PLANET, ever responsive to its readers and viewers, checked out the boxes. If the efforts weren’t so embarrassing, they […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY Second of Two Parts (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016) — The “New” BB’s Monday story on the discovery of pollution and ledge problems at the construction site of the “new” Taconic High School by Jim Therrien said the money to cover the extra costs would come out of […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY First of Two Parts (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016) — On April 20, the same day THE PLANET scooped The “New” Boring Broadsheet on the sale of its own paper, we also beat the pathetic rag with confirmation of our earlier reports of ledge and pollution […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 25, 2016) — With SABIC having pulled the plug on 300 jobs — 500+ if you count positions dependent on the company’s presence in Pittsfield — it received a healthy tax write-off while easing its corporate conscience in the form of a $1 […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 22-24, 2016) — Time to clean the carburetor as THE PLANET presents another fearless edition of Quik Hitz & Hot Lix. What Turnout? — In this era of prohibitively high taxes, what would it take for an electorate to approve […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016) — Yesterday, we presented reasons to oppose the Big Box Boogie. Today, THE PLANET presents the other side. We will present this in the form of refutations of the opponents strongest arguments. OBJECTION 1: Walmart, Super or not, is not […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 20, 2016) — One of the large projects that The Tyer Administration has adopted for its own is the relocation of the Berkshire Crossings’ Walmart to the PEDA site off Woodlawn Avenue, just over the bridge from East Street. There are many […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016) — With reports of gunfire on John and Lincoln streets by posters to THE PLANET, it came as scant surprise to learn of a shooting and murder at 343 Columbus Ave. early Sunday morning. The three-story house faces the entrance […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (ED. NOTE: Tomorrow, THE PLANET presents exclusive new details about the murder Sunday on Columbus Avenue, a shooting citizens found out about first on this website). ——– 000 ——– (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 18, 2016) — Today, the Republican Party begins its three-day convention in Cleveland, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION JULY 15-17, 2016) — Today, THE PLANET runs a guest story that conveys the refreshing, unpredictable, and honest flavor of Donald Trump campaign to become your next president. He’s a candidate unique in modern presidential politics. His campaign that has thrown out The […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JULY 14, BASTILLE DAY 2016) — Typically, the audit performed by Scanlon & Associates for the city does little more than check the math. In its own words, its “responsibility is to express opinions” on the city’s financial claims. At worst, the auditors […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 2016) — Most any fair-minded person would find it both incredible and incredulous to read the many inaccurate, inflammatory, and in some cases hysterical claims about how this nation’s police forces are stacked with trigger-happy muscle heads who want only to gun […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY Second of Two Parts (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY JULY 12, 2016) — Nearly two years ago, police in Ferguson, MO, shot and killed Michael Brown. To explain this act, social activists created a metaphor that morphed into a national storyline, namely, that police departments across the nation are […]
