!!UPDATED!! COUNCIL APPROVES INSIDE JOB IN CONTRACTGATE, FILES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE CITY SOLICITOR …IN THE INTERESTING WORLD OF POLEMICS, POLITICAL CORRECT MEANS ALL POINTS OF VIEW WELCOME, AS LONG AS YOU AGREE WITH US … NO CONFIDENCE VOTE IS ESSENTIALLY A VOTE OF CENSURE

Article

!!UPDATED!! COUNCIL APPROVES INSIDE JOB IN CONTRACTGATE, FILES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE CITY SOLICITOR …IN THE INTERESTING WORLD OF POLEMICS, POLITICAL CORRECT MEANS ALL POINTS OF VIEW WELCOME, AS LONG AS YOU AGREE WITH US … NO CONFIDENCE VOTE IS ESSENTIALLY A VOTE OF CENSURE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary !UPDATED! (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10, 2012) — Being tighter for time than a flunkie taking his SATs, we will keep our initial comments brief on last night bizarre city council marathon. Cutting to the chase, the council: — Filed the Sherman-Yon Act on a last-minute […]

October 10, 2012 83 Comments

Article

TONIGHT, OUR RIGHT HONORABLE FRIENDS ON THE CITY COUNCIL ROCK ‘n’ ROLL ON NO-CONFIDENCE PETITION AND CONTRACTGATE … QUICK HITS & HOT LICKS, INCLUDING KUDOS … plus … WHAT IS A GOB? WANNA A LIST?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, OCT. 9, 2012) — Counting down the hours until tonight’s showdown city council meeting, in which my Right Honorable Good Friends tackle two marquee issues: ———————————————————- ADD #1 10/9/12, LATER IN THE MORNING: Isn’t it interesting that despite the meeting tonight showing all […]

October 9, 2012 54 Comments

Article

WELCOME TO POLITICALLY INCORRECT DAY!

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, OCT. 8, 2012) — It’s the celebration of Columbus Day, that politically incorrect memorial of that day in 1492 when the Bad White Male Europeans coming to the “New World” to corrupt the Good, Colored, Engendered, Native Americans, thereby creating The Welfare State. […]

October 7, 2012 21 Comments

Article

PLANET HEARS FROM PRINCIPALS IN THE SHERMAN-YON ACT CALLING FOR NO-CONFIDENCE IN CITY SOLICITOR … BIANCHI AND DEGNAN, CONCILORS SAY, MISLED AND MISREPRESENTED THEM … STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE MAYOR … plus … SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS, SAVE AN IN-HIDING JIM CONANT, EXPLAIN THEIR ‘YES’ VOTE IN CONTRACTGATE, WITH LOTS OF REGRETS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, OCT. 5, 2012) — THE PLANET has still to hear from Mayor Dan Bianchi on the petition that will be filed by city council president Kevin Sherman, at-large, and Ward 1 councilor Christine Yon. The Sherman-Yon Act requests the council to issue a […]

October 5, 2012 103 Comments

Article

!!BREAKING NEWS!! PLANET EXCLUSIVE: COUNCIL PRESIDENT SHERMAN, WARD 1’s YON FILE FOR VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN CITY SOLICITOR DEGNAN … MOVE COULD HAVE PROFOUND EFFECTS ON CITY GOVT. … plus … IN WAKE OF LAST NIGHT’S PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, A CLOSE LOOK AT THE NATIONAL DEFICIT

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, OCT. 4, 2012) — We were about ready to ready and publish a story about the national deficit when late word came in on a developing story that could have profound effects on future relations between Mayor Dan Bianchi and the Pittsfield City […]

October 4, 2012 64 Comments

Article

CONTRACTGATE: THE MUCK GETS MUCKIER … STATE ETHICS COMMISSION TO LYNN WHITNEY: IN EFFECT, ‘YOU HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST’ … SHE FAILS TO MEET FOUR OF THE FIVE REQUIREMENTS … MATTER IS NOW IN CITY COUNCIL’S HANDS, AND COUNCIL NEEDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR MARY JANE AND JOE KAPANSKI

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3, 2012) — The muck gets muckier in Contractgate. After using her position as asst. supt. Frank Cote‘s secretary for the inside track, Lynn Whitney was “awarded” the contract for free slave labor, courtesy of Taconic High School carpentry students, to build […]

October 3, 2012 32 Comments

Article

IN APPLYING FOR FREE SLAVE LABOR FROM THS CARPENTRY STUDENTS, DID LYNN WHITNEY ‘SIT RIGHT DOWN AND WRITE HERSELF A LETTER?’ … PITTSFIELD CITY COUNCIL FACES WATERSHED MOMENT IN UPCOMING ACTIONS ON WHITNEY-COTE-SCHOOLS PACT … WHAT ARE THE PREDICTORS OF STUDENT SUCCESS … plus … LEE HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT ‘ADVANCING’ WITH AP PROGRAM

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, OCT. 2, 2012) — Do you remember the Fats Waller tune, “I’m Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” done also by many other songsters. THE PLANET wonder is this might be one of Lynn Whitney‘s favorites. Whitney, secretary to […]

October 2, 2012 23 Comments

Article

C’MON DOWN, FRANK COTE! C’MON DOWN, LYNNE WHITNEY! WELCOME TO “THE PRICE IS RIGHT,” PLANET STYLE … FLOWER SHOP REPRIEVE ONLY A ONE-SHOT DEAL? … plus … A STAR IS BORN: MUSIC REVIEW OF LAKECIA BENJAMIN AT CHAMELEONS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, OCT. 1, 2012) — Once again, THE PLANET caught “Them” with “Their” hand in the cookie jar. We can call it our reason for being or an occupational hazard. Take your pick. C’mon down, Frank Cote, assistant superintendent of schools, Pittsfield School Department! […]

September 30, 2012 18 Comments

Article

IS THE ROOF CAVING IN ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN ‘INSIDER’ DEAL GIVEN TO SCHOOL ASST. SUPT. COTE’s SECRETARY, LYNN WHITNEY, ON FREE SLAVE LABOR FROM THS VOCATIONAL CARPENTRY STUDENTS? … KINNAS SNIFFS OUT AN EGREGIOUS CASE OF APPARENT INSIDER TRADING … CITY COUNCIL WONDERS: HOW THE HECK DID WE GET INVOLVED? … JUST ANOTHER “OIP” — “ONLY IN PALOOKAVILLE,” WHERE MARY JANE AND JOE KAPANSKI GET SCREWED

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 28, 2012) — This story bears watching. On Tuesday this week, the city council entertained an unusual communication, listed on the agenda as No. 8: A communication from Frank K. Cote, Assistant Superintendent, Pittsfield Public Schools, submitting an Order authorizing the City […]

September 28, 2012 60 Comments

Article

WHAT’S IMPORTANT IN AMERICA? A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? THE DEFICIT? NAH, IT’S NFL FOOTBALL. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN THE LAND OF SNOOKY AND HONEY BOO BOO?? …IT WAS 52 YEARS TODAY, IN THE GLOAMING AT FENWAY PARK, THAT THE PLANET SAW THE BUILDUP OF HISTORY

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 27, 2012) — The United States of Snooky and Honey Boo Boo, now in the midst of a presidential election, can offer any large number of cases in point to prove the vacuous country’s lack of values and priorities. The most important issue of […]

September 27, 2012 28 Comments

Article

!!PLANET EXCLUSIVE!! LIGHTS OUT FOR TAXPAYERS ON NAVY’s FAILED LCS SHIPS … GENERAL DYNAMICS AXED 50 JOBS COULD BE A HINT OF FUTURE PASSED FOR PITTSFIELD WORKERS … ACTIONS AND RAMPANT SPECULATION PART OF DISASTROUS, COSTLY, NON-FUNCTIONAL LCS PROGRAM … ARE HUNDREDS OF PITTSFIELD JOBS NEXT?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26, 2012) — “Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth” — Mike Tyson. “You don’t get to see the actual report itself, of course, even though you’ve paid for the ships and the contractors — twice — who phoned in […]

September 26, 2012 8 Comments

Article

THE QUESTION WON’T GO AWAY: WHO IS ELIZABETH WARREN, REALLY? … BLOGGER PUBLISHES EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTS SHE MAY NOT BE LICENSED TO PRACTICE IN MASSACHUSETTS … WHY BROWN IS THE RIGHT CHOICE … BEACON CINEMA WELL WITHIN ITS RIGHTS SEARCHING PATRONS FOR CONTRABAND FOOD AND DRINK

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 25, 2012) — THE PLANET has nothing to say about the silly speculations and wild-eyed canards about our supposed work for the Scott Brown campaign. As always, our client list remains proprietary. We only bring this up because of a funny thing that […]

September 24, 2012 44 Comments

Article

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

Article

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

Article

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

Article

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

Planet Valenti