BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ———- ooo ———- This just in: Today’s debate between Tim Shugrue and … a potted plant, sitting in for the district attorney, who chickened out. Actually, it’s an incredible conversation with Berkshire County’s next D.A. We cover a ton of information that NO OTHER FORUM has or […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY [ED. NOTE: From 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, THE PLANET will sponsor and moderate our second debate in as many weeks, this time the campaign for district attorney. Incumbent Andrea Harrington will meet attorney and challenger Tim Shugrue. As we did for the sheriff’s race, we shall […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, AUG. 12-4, 2022) — Before we get to more sheriffs’ sherbet and sorbet, THE PLANET‘s has a few bits ‘o honey to clear from the desk: Wednesday’s Child — On Wednesday, this website will once again organize, sponsor, and produce a […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY AUG. 10, 2022) — Whew. Raucous it was. As of 9:49 p.m. Tuesday night, THE PLANET-sponsored sheriffs’ debate had 1,152 views on YouTube (don’t have Facebook numbers yet). When it comes times for an Emmy, we shall consider sending a Native American woman […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY [ED. NOTE: The debate THE PLANET refereed today (8/8/22 from 2-3 p.m.) between sheriff Tom Bowler and challenger Alf Barbalunga is now available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/1rOybip5AIo. If this link isn’t hot, simply type in A PLANET VALENTI DOT COM PRODUCTION: “Showdown for Sheriff: Barbalunga v. Bowler” […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION AUG. 5-7, 2022) — The skewers are out, the sewers are full, and we have the following items for The Weekend Edition smorgasbord: Showdown for Sheriff — On Monday (Aug. 8) THE PLANET will sponsor, moderate, and broadcast a debate between […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY [ED. NOTE: On Monday afternoon, Aug. 8., at a secret location on a mountaintop high above the city, THE PLANET will be sitting in from of a couple video cameras and in between sheriff candidates Tom Bowler (incumbent) and Alf Barbalunga (challenger) filming a one-hour conversation-cum-confrontation. Shortly […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY EDITOR’S NOTE: Before we get going, we mourn the death of all-time basketball great Bill Russell, 88, who died Sunday. He was the greatest winner all time in any sport: 2 high-school state championships, two national college championships, a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics, 11 world […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, JULY 29-31, 2022 — This week, your next governor, Maura Healey, came to town for some back-door dealing. Now that Remo’s has been shuttered, its back room no longer accessible, the cement bags have been stacked in another location. That new […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 27, 2022) — As a lad, from the moment school let out in June, we and the gang practically lived at Deming Park in summer. “Sandlot” and the infinite varieties of baseball, all dependent on how many guys showed up, dominated, with […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 25, 2022) — Politics is weird. How weird? It’s so weird that anything you say about it will be true. Even if it’s false, it will be true. Politics never has, isn’t, and never will be pure, and when candidates pledge to […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 22-4, 2022) — As some Tanglewood the weekend away and other simply tangle, THE PLANET wishes to share a response we received from a correspondent wanting to know who “Chuck Garivaltis” is and is he a man “I should know.” […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2022) — Alf Barbalunga, challenging two-time incumbent Tom Bowler for sheriff, pledged to run a clean campaign on the issues, not on personal attacks. Team Alf, as they refer to themselves, say that’s been the case thus far in what shapes […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD TUESDAY 7/19 P.M. — We have this from the Pittsfield Police Department on last night’s shooting: On Tuesday July 19th 2022 at approximately 12:25 am, members of the Pittsfield Police Department (PPD) responded to the area of Pleasant Street for a ShotSpotter activation indicating multiple rounds. […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, JULY 15-7, 2022) — It was the worst of times. It was the “worst-er” of times. What the Dickens does THE PLANET mean? How about the dark cloud the Tyer Administration has pulled over nearly every aspect of municipal governance, save […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 2022) — Today we focus on regional and national issues, more specifically state and fed. That’s why Edison invented the “roundup column,” to address THE PLANET‘s challenge of too many stories, not enough space or time. STATE Ball(ot) Busters — Those […]
