Planet Valenti

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 24, 2012) — Yesterday, THE PLANET sent the following e-mail to Alfred “Alf” Barbalunga, probation officer for the Southern Berkshire District Court, Pittsfield School Committee chairman, and member of the Berkshire Young Professionals: ALF As a court officer and also as a […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JAN. 23, 2012) — We The People have not rested in  the Meredith Nilan-Peter Moore Case. The travesty lies the handling of the case, from the get go, beginning with the moment of impact on the night of Dec. 8, 2011 and continuing […]

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JAN. 20, 2012) — When the Boring Broadsheet published its story on the dismissal of police charges against Meredith Nilan in the hit-and-run incident involving Peter Moore, it did so with no byline, quoting only Ms. Nilan’s attorney, Tim Shugrue. Moreover, the BB […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary POLICE APPEAL NILAN RULING  (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 19, 2012) — Yesterday, the Pittsfield Police Department filed an appeal in the Meredith Nilan hit-and-run case. The PPD filed the appeal with a judge in Central Berkshire district Court, asking that the decision of a Westfield clerk […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012) — Apparently, Meredith Nilan walks — no harm, no foul. We say apparently because, as of yet, there’s been no official announcement in the case, only Meredith Nilan’s lawyer, Tim Shugrue, saying that  Nathan Byrnes, assistant clerk magistrate from Westfield […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012) — We lead off today with two nuggets of information from a couple of THE PLANET‘s good friends, Mike Ward and Melissa Mazzeo. MORE ABOUT ‘THE BRIDGE FROM NOWHERE,’ SCHOOL BUILDING NEEDS COMMISSION FROM MIKE WARD — Dan, on the BTN […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JAN. 16, 2012) — In observance of the federal holiday, THE PLANET enjoys another day on the road, on business (mostly) with a little R&R thrown in for good measure. The beauty of cyberspace is that “here” takes on a relative, almost philosophic […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JAN. 13, 2012) — First, we present a guest submission from THE STOOLEY. THE STOOLEY raises a few questions. These are questions, mind you, and we stress. They are not accusations, indictments, claims of fact, or testimonies of circumstance. THE PLANET gets nailed […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 13, 2012) — Regarding the Meredith Nilan hit-and-run case, here’s the hot question swirling around the city: Has she received — and, if so, will she continue to get preferential treatment? The public pressure on the courts to see that this doesn’t […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11, 2012) — Before we begin wading into the muck, let us share a story of the Power of The People. Several weeks ago, Dave Bubriski of the Ward 4 Rest of the River watch group contacted THE PLANET about The Bridge […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 10, 2012) — Tonight is the new city council’s first regular, operational meeting. On the agenda: appointment of a full-time and part-time city solicitor. Kathleen Degnan and Darren Lee, respectively, are up for the posts. Mayor Dan Bianchi proposes the hiring of […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JAN. 9, 2012) — THE PLANET had a lovely out-of-state weekend, being an idiot savant when it comes to football picks (as my friend John Foster would say to the Swami about my football expertise along the lines of idiot savant, “You got […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1, JAN. 6, 2012 THE PLANET received word late this afternoon from a reliable source that Kate Doherty, CEO of the Brien Center, has resigned. We don’t know much more than this. We will say that we have known Katie for many years, and we found her […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1, THURSDAY JAN. 15 The PEDA board meeting is tomorrow at 8 a.m., at the PEDA offices, 81 Kellogg St., near Woodlawn. Mike Ward, who has engineered a petition to fight the stupid use of the sight as a B- or C-level Big Box manufacturing site […]

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4, 2012) — The sudden resignation of Pittsfield School Superintendent Howard “Jake” Eberwein certainly has THE PLANET and the town buzzing. It will pre-empt by at least a day our planned coverage of two local theaters — The Barrington Stage and the […]

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 3, 2012) — Happy birthday to Planet Dad, who turned 91 today and will celebrate by taking a long walk on the Mary Flynn Trail in Stockbridge, Mass.! Gotta love it. WELCOME ABOARD — Now that the new government is duly constituted, […]