On Point

Memorial Day, as most schoolchildren know, is the “official” start of summer (can you say, “Kennywood is open?”).

Plant the garden. Water the flowers. Remember what the sun looks like. Yep, the Pittsburgh spring checklist gets rolling in May, especially when you add the Marathon and the Pens (short-lived) run for the Stanley Cup.

The winter of 2018 has already broken a few Pittsburgh records (though not for what you might think). Just be glad you don’t live in Erie.

As a proud dad, I enjoy confirming to friends that both of our daughters are “taxpaying citizens.” In other words, they are financially self-sufficient, independent of the First Bank of Dad.

Those adept with a calendar can no doubt tell that Easter, the holiday harbinger of spring, falls on April 1 this year, aka April Fools’ Day.

By now, Pittsburghers of Irish descent (plus many who aren’t) are thinking of libations and liberties.

It’s hard to think of March in Pittsburgh without thinking about the region’s Irish heritage.

Journalist Mark Whitaker’s exploration of his Pittsburgh roots in his new book “Smoketown” gives us a poignant opportunity to re-examine Black History Month from a ‘Burgh perspective.

So, there’s this sporting event on February 4 that many Pittsburghers were hoping to attend or watch. And the Patriots will be there, but the Steelers will not. How to soothe the pain (other than burning Tom Brady in effigy)?

When I moved to Pittsburgh in 1994, steel mills were still closing (there was no Waterfront, for example, or Southside Works) and Steelers fans were headed south for work. The most common question I got: “Why would you move here?”

If your house is like mine, the Christmas tree is “needling” you about its mortality. Soon, the lights and tree will come down, the elevator music will no longer warble about chestnuts and snowmen, and with our city’s slushy snow, it will merely be … winter.

Pittsburgh contributed in many ways to the eventual defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, from industrial production to the thousands of men and women who served.

As one of America’s greatest cities “to be from,” no doubt your Pittsburgh home will fill with relatives from across the country in coming weeks.

At The Pittsburgh 100, we understand that the way you consume news is changing. That’s why we provide it in a concise, engaging format.

In the digital age, we appreciate brevity – 140 characters on Twitter, eight-second sound bites for TV news, emojis for our texts. To run a successful organization, you deserve the same as a leader.