Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, June 12:
Lightning likely culprit behind 2 house fires
TribLive news partner WTAE reported lightning was likely the cause of a pair of house fires in Pittsburgh’s Chartiers City neighborhood and Fox Chapel.
A witness told WTAE that he heard a boom Thursday before smelling smoke in the bathroom of a home on Oltman Street in Chartiers City as storms moved through the area. Officials said the cause of the blaze was under investigation but likely lightning.
In Fox Chapel, a home on Wildberry Road caught fire after a lightning strike hit near the house’s electrical meter, WTAE reported.
No injuries were reported.
Portion of PRT Silver Line rail service closing next week
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Silver Line will close from Washington Junction to Lytle Street next week.
The closure is expected to run from the start of service Monday through the start of service Friday.
Bus shuttles will ferry passengers from Washington Junction to Lytle Station. A rail shuttle also will be operating from Lytle Station to Library Station. Hillcrest Station will be completely closed.
Crews will be replacing ties and rail sections, securing power lines and trimming trees during the closure, the transit agency said.
Heinz History Center teams with Wigle Whiskey for history-inspired drink
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Wigle Whiskey teamed up with the Heinz History Center to brew up a drink George Washington once enjoyed.
Cherry Bounce — a brandy-based beverage popular in the 18th century — was known to be among the famed founding father’s favorites. Washington wrote that he took canteens of Cherry Bounce and Medeira with him for a journey across the Allegheny Mountains in September 1784.
Wigle Whiskey and the Heinz History Center are releasing a limited-edition Cherry Bounce to mark the nation’s anniversary.
A Cherry Bounce bottle release party is scheduled at the distillery next Thursday evening. Label artist Mark Bender will be selling prints of the label and other Pittsburgh-inspired art, and history center representatives will be on site to talk about how the region is celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial.
“Before the nation was fully formed, Cherry Bounce fueled the spirited conversations of America’s earliest leaders,” Wigle Whiskey wrote in a social media post. “A cordial beloved by George Washington himself, the historic drink combined fruit, spice and brandy into a warming American classic.”
Wigle Whiskey said their version — made with apple brandy, tart cherries and baking spices — is rooted in the 18th century traditions.