SHORT-TERM THINKING, OVER-ESTIMATING DEMAND, UNDERESTIMATING COSTS PRODUCE ARTS GLUT … WILL IT SPELL DOOM FOR PITTSFIELD? … plus … UNEARTHING AN IMPORTANT CLUE TO THE CITY’S FUTURE

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SHORT-TERM THINKING, OVER-ESTIMATING DEMAND, UNDERESTIMATING COSTS PRODUCE ARTS GLUT … WILL IT SPELL DOOM FOR PITTSFIELD? … plus … UNEARTHING AN IMPORTANT CLUE TO THE CITY’S FUTURE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012) — Yesterday, as we have done on numerous occasions prior, THE PLANET discussed the folly of relying upon a recreation-and-resort economy as a city’s economic cost center. Most of the jobs of such an economy are service-type positions that pay […]

July 6, 2012 68 Comments

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PARADE AFTERMATH: TRASH OF THE CANDY-WRAPPER KIND AND THE HUMAN KIND … KNIFE FIGHT MARS PARADE CONCLUSION … COOL WORK BY PITTSFIELD COPS PREVENTS A TRAGEDY … THOSE ‘MEAN STREETS,’ THEY AREN’T MEANT FOR YOU, JOE AND MARY JANE KAPANSKI

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, JULY 5, 2012) — THE PLANET received several posts and letters on the Pittsfield Fourth of July parade. One came from someone who was attending, wrote that “it sux,” and said he was leaving. A couple others expressed disappointment as well, with the quality. […]

July 5, 2012 49 Comments

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WORDS MATTER, AS ONE WHO HAS PAID THE PRICE CAN TELL YOU … IT’S NOT ‘TORTURE,’ IT’s THE USE OF ‘ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQIUES … TRASH-O-RAMA TO HIT NORTH STREET TOMORROW, BUT PLANET’s ‘RICK’ HAS A BETTER IDEA … plus … SUNS SPLIT

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JULY 3, 2012) — Words matter. Last night at the college, my ENG 102 advanced composition class spent time on this theme, which we call “The Politics of Language, after our textbook chapter and echoing George Orwell famous essay, “Politics and the English […]

July 3, 2012 37 Comments

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POETRY MONDAY TAKES US ALL THE WAY, WITHOUT DR. RUTH … QUICK HITS AND HOT LICKS LOOK AT ZONING, ADULT CENTER LEASE, A BIANCHI-MARCHETTI THAW, CHICKENS, & MORE … plus … SIR TIBERIUS PRESENTS HIS LATEST MASTERPIECE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012) — On poetry Tuesday, the day before the Fourth of July and the annual $85,000 exercise in excess known as the Pittsfield Ringer’s Parade, THE PLANET presents this verse, which we find perfect for the day’s heat and the evening’s recline: […]

July 2, 2012 36 Comments

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!EXCLUSIVE! WE HEAR FROM PETER MOORE VIA FAMILY SPOKESPERSON … PLANET RESPONDS TO BB EDITORIAL … LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ON ‘NILAN v. VALENTI’: THANKS TO ALL … FIRST AMENDMENT IS AMERICA ‘AS’ AMERICA, or A REFLECTION ON THE MOST IMPORTANT 45 WORDS IN THE BODY OF THE U.S.’s FOUNDING DOCUMENTS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY JULY 13, 2012) — First, we share this exclusive on Peter Moore, the victim of Meredith Nilan’s negligent driving on Dec. 8, 2012. He’s the victim in the sad affair, remember? A spokesman for the Moore family noted that supreme irony of the […]

July 1, 2012 1 Comment

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SUPREME COURT DECISION ON OBAMACARE ALL ABOUT ROBERTS, ‘HIS OWN MAN’ … COURT GIVES WE THE PEOPLE HUGE FIRST AMENDMENT FREE SPEECH WIN … SPEAKING OF WINS, A WIN FOR BIANCHI … plus … SUNS LOSE AT BWP

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD#1 FRIDAY JUNE 29, LATER IN THE DAY — Readers may be interested in our ADD #2 addition to yesterday’s column that reported our compliance with the judge’s ruling. ——————————————————- (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012) — Now back to our usually scheduled programming, before we […]

June 29, 2012 59 Comments

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PLANET COMPLIES WITH ORDER OF THE COURT CONCERNING ENTRIES ON BLOG … ‘WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS,’ AND THAT IS ALMOST ALWAYS AN INVIOLATE PRINCIPLE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD#2, JUNE 29, 2012 — You will notice that we took down many of the comments left at the end of this story. We do that after applying a broad standard to the judge’s injunction that THE PLANET not write about the case at issue. The action […]

June 28, 2012 5 Comments

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SANDUSKY VERDICT RAISES THIRD-RAIL QUESTION LOCALLY: WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT ALL THE CHILD MOLESTATION RUMORS? … IT’S TIME FOR PITTSFIELD AND BERKSHIRE COUNTY TO FACE UP TO THIS ISSUE … IF THERE HAS BEEN AN ORGANIZED RING INVOLVING KEY PUBLIC FIGURES, IT NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED AND PROSECUTED; IF NOT, THE RUMORS MUST BE PUT TO REST ONCE AND FOR ALL

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEws and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012) — Is it Berkshire County’s equivalent of the alligators that supposedly swim in the NYC sewers? Or is there a reason Ed Norton carries a speargun into the sewers? Urban myth or sad truth? It’s the question that no one […]

June 27, 2012 6 Comments

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COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT ON METH ISSUE … YON, CLAIRMONT WANT EXECUTIVE SESSION … HEARTBREAK PILL, or, A TALE OF METHADONE AND DEATH … THE STORY IS FINALLY TOLD IN NEW TV SERIES: “THE HOUSEWIVES OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY” … plus … NEW FEATURE: ‘THE PLANET DEFINITION’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2012) — At tonight’s city council meeting, my Right Honorable Good Friends will witness a citizens protest from folks who don’t want a methadone clinic located in a residential neighborhood. THE PLANET plans on being there, either in person or through […]

June 26, 2012 25 Comments

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RESPITE FROM THE RAT RACE, BUT FIRST … ANTI-NEIGHBORHOOD METH CLINIC PROTEST SET FOR TUESDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING … GUESS WHO’S COMING TO BH&O BUILDING ON DAN FOX DRIVE?… plus … THE RESTORATIONS OF POETRY, FEATURING THE DIVINE EDGAR AND SOME CAT NAMED DAN VALENTI

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012) — With all the “deeds of the children of the night” being exposed on a regular basis from THE PLANET‘s work on behalf of The People of Berkshire County, let us step back, breath fresh air, and cleanse ourselves with […]

June 25, 2012 42 Comments

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!EXCLUSIVES! PLANET BREAKS TWO BIG STORIES: BHS to ‘GOBBLE UP’ BERKSHIRE HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY ON DAN FOX DRIVE, SOURCES SAY … THE PLANET LETS YOU IN ON THE COURT-ORDERED ‘GREETING CARD’ (LITERALLY) MEREDITH NILAN SENT TO PETER MOORE … LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ON A VARIETY OF LOCAL TOPICS … plus … QUICK HITS AND HOT LICKS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012) — THE PLANET has learned from a reliable source within the health industry that the Berkshire Hematology and Oncology (BH&O) business located on Dan Fox Drive sometime early next year will be absorbed by the growing Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) […]

June 22, 2012 85 Comments

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RALLY AGAINST METHADONE CLINIC TODAY AT PARK SQ. @ 5 P.M. … AT THE START OF SUMMER, THE PLANET REMEMBERS SHERM FELLER … TOM MOORE, PETER’S FATHER, OPENS UP ON MEREDITH NILAN PROSECUTION, BLAMES D.A. … THE COLOSSAL FAILURE KNOWN AS THE ‘WAR ON DRUGS’ … plus … A LOOK AT SPECTRUM HEALTH SYSTEMS’ TAX FILING FOR 2009: ‘THAR’S GOLD IN THEM THAR METH CLINICS’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012) — Before we welcome you to summer, let us share this quick announcement: Tonight, at 5 p.m. at Park Square, those who are against locating a methadone clinic next to Dwyer Funeral Home, near two schools, and in the middle […]

June 20, 2012 59 Comments

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METHADONE CLINIC: THE PLANET TO THE RESCUE ONCE AGAIN, WHILE THE BB AND THE DD TAKE A SNOOZE … MANY QUESTIONS LINGER ON QUESTIONABLE LOCATION OWNED BY A TOP-TIER GOB ASSOCIATE … plus … METH INFORMATION AND A FIRST-HAND REPORT BY GUEST COLUMNIST

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012) — Our staff on THE PLANET is we, ourselves, and us. Period. We are assisted, of course, by the largest and most comprehensive network of informants, spies, gumshoes, and secret agents (including those in the coveted Z Agents, who have […]

June 20, 2012 24 Comments

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DECISION TO LOCATE METH CLINIC NEXT TO DWYER’S FUNERAL HOME, ON PROPERTY OWNED BY CITY DOC ADAMO, RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012) — THE PLANET uncovered the news. THE PLANET broke the news. On THE PLANET, there has ensued a beneficial, community discussion. While the Boring Broadsheet pretended it wasn’t happening or, worse, didn’t know, and while all the other local media […]

June 19, 2012 98 Comments

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SOURCES: METH CLINIC MAY BE LOCATING NEAR DWYER FUNERAL HOME … RECAP OF WTRB FLIP FLOP CASE: WHAT WAS LEARNED … plus … THE BEST VIEW ALWAYS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ‘SEEING THINGS WHOLE’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, Friday, JUNE 15, 2012) — It’s enough to raise the dead. Sources say the irate calls made yesterday to various of my Right Honorable Good Friends in public office from Debbie Dwyer of Dwyer Funeral Home were likely more venting than anything else, since […]

June 15, 2012 86 Comments

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STURGEON LANDS NEW RADIO GIG … TODAY IS FLAG DAY, AND THE PLANET OBSERVES WITH AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR BIANCHI REGARDING THE VETERANS’ AGENT IN PITTSFIELD: ‘GET A NEW ONE, MR. MAYOR’ … A FLAG DAY POEM FROM LONG AGO … plus … GUEST COLUMNIST SHARES HER ‘PRIMORDIAL, PATRIOTIC HOLLER’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012) — We lead with this item. Sources tell us that beginning Wednesday, June 20, ex-WBRK and never-WTBR talkmeister Bill Sturgeon will begin a new show on WRRS 104.3 FM. His show will be part of the Berkshire Talking Chronicle, a […]

June 14, 2012 52 Comments

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