BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY First of a Series (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 22-4, 2023) — So much for a clean campaign. Both Peter Marchetti and John Krol promised citizens from the start. Krol has kept his promise. Technically, Marchetti didn’t break his promise, since it appears that it wasn’t, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 20, 2023) — The voters have spoken. Unfortunately, they had a bad case of laryngitis, or, as the late, great Arthur used to call it, “larenjowie.” OVerall, turnout was abysmal: 16% for mayor, the only citywide office on the ballot; as predicted […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 2 SEPT. 15 P.M. — Here’s an update on the murder charge against Josiah Helmer from the office of Tim Shugrue, Berkshire County District Attorney: On Friday, September 15th, Josiah Helmer was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court for the charge of murder. The Commonwealth requested […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 2 SEPT. 13, 2023 — THE PLANET shares this information from the Pittsfield Police Department on last night’s stabbing, which proved fatal: On Tuesday September 12th 2023 at approximately 10:45pm officers with the Pittsfield Police Department (PPD) responded to the area of Melville Street near the […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY AUG. 30, 2023) — If all goes well, this post will be published today. While THE PLANET enjoys hiatus status, we have added the “activate and publish” function to the responsibilities of our Army of Robots (AOR). Yes, the appearance of this post […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY AUG. 14, 2024) — Half a league onward into our break, THE PLANET has decided to extend our leave. Why? You know the punch line: “Because we can.” Our next post will be Wednesday Sept. 6, after Labor Day. Can you hold out […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 28-30) — The NFL camps have opened, baseball heads into its dog days, and THE PLANET moves off the map. Changes, as well as magic, is afoot. As we said on Wednesday’s post, starting with this entry, THE PLANET goes […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 26, 2023) — THE PLANET opens today with important housekeeping news. THE WEEKEND EDITION, which normally posts late Thursday night, shall be published earlier, in the late morning or early afternoon. The following week, we shall be on our shutdown. Like the […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 24, 2023) — One of THE PLANET‘s most prolific and valued commentators, Kindergarten, praised the interview conducted on WAMC with our Right Honorable Good Friend, councilor-at-large Earl Persip. Parsnip. Dumpster. Kindergarten criticized THE PLANET for using nicknames. Disrespectful, (s)he said. Of course […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 21-3, 2023) — Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere — St. Thomas Aquinas (To contemplate and to give to others the fruit of your contemplation). That’s what THE PLANET has done for almost 3,000 columns. There are again that many if […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 1 JULY 20 9 A.M. — THE PLANET received this from the Pittsfield Police Department: On Thursday July 20, 2023 just before 2:00am Pittsfield Police Department (PPD) officers were dispatched to The Berkshire Crossing Parking Lot located at 555 Hubbard Avenue for a report of a […]
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 17, 2023) — THE PLANET‘s good friend and candidate Craig Gaetani had a choice to make before July 28: the corner office or Ward 6? In front of the PLANET VALENTI VIDEO (PVV) cameras, Gaetani made his choice at the tail end of the broadcast. You can watch it below. It […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 14-6, 2023) — While THE PLANET wiles away the hours sipping the perfect martini at Wheatleigh, we have good news to report — in addition to two olives, that is. The Picklefield City Council has improved 100%! In July, they […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2023) — THE PLANET knew that at some point, we would agree with congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She is cosponsor of an attachment to one of Syracuse Joe’s most disastrous decisions to date. He wants to send cluster bombs to the president […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 10, 2023) — When THE PLANET ran our three-part series last week on the special council meeting, we ended each with the same quote, the epigram we place at the terminus of each column. It’s a quote from the great H.L. Mencken: […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY Part Three of a Three-Part Series (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JuLY7-9, 2023) — THE PLANET begins The Weekend Edition in this fast-reeling summer with this, received from the Pittsfield Police Department: It’s bad enough that the driver struck and seriously injured this person, of course, […]
