Lower Merion

He started inviting a woman from an escort service to his home around the time he got married. He took his wife and baby to restaurants at night - but by day, paid a stripper $1,000 a week to perform for him, authorities say. Craig Rabinowitz, the Lower Merion latex salesman accused of strangling his lawyer wife to death, led two lives. Yesterday, Rabinowitz - portrayed over and over by family and friends as almost fanatically devoted to his wife - was described in a 34-page court document as a man who paid for prostitutes and had an addiction to the company of a stripper.

By the 1950s, most of the Main Line's baronial mansions were rendered architectural dinosaurs by both their expensive upkeep and the soaring value of the land they occupied. Some of the 40-, 50-, even 70-room neo-classical, Gothic and Elizabethan edifices were converted to institutional use, such as school buildings and retirement homes. Others were razed to make way for housing developments. But none left the Main Line scene with as much flourish as the 75-room Penn Valley manor of Percival Roberts Jr. Dubbed the Baron of Pencoyd, Roberts was one of Lower Merion's most prominent figures and his feud with township officials a little over 50 years ago ranks as a landmark dispute between a private citizen and local government.

What: PIAA District 1 Class AAAA boys' basketball championship game. When, where: 9 p.m. Friday at Villanova's Pavilion. Records: Lower Merion, 25-2; Chester, 26-0. Winning streaks: Lower Merion, 19; Chester, 52. District titles: Lower Merion, 15; Chester, 20. Last district title: Lower Merion, 1996; Chester, 2011. Last meeting: The Aces defeated Chester, 49-48, in overtime in December 2006. Coaches: Lower Merion, Gregg Downer (22d season)

Lower Merion is seeking a big breakthrough. Chester is planning to stay the course. As expected when the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA boys' hoops tournament tipped off on Feb. 17, the Aces and Clippers will clash for the championship at 9 p.m. Friday at Villanova's Pavilion. Lower Merion (25-2) is trying for its first district crown since 1996, when Kobe Bryant, with 34 points and 11 rebounds, powered the Aces to a 60-53, come-from-behind victory over Chester. Chester (26-0)

Harry Hasson, suspended since January as Lower Merion police superintendent following a drunken-driving arrest, ended speculation over his future role with the department by retiring yesterday. Hasson, 52, a 31-year veteran of the department, had been suspended with pay from the 135-officer force after his Jan. 4 arrest. Hasson was seriously injured when the township car he was driving hit a tree in Easttown Township, Chester County, the night of Dec. 17. He will receive the same monthly retirement benefit and health-care coverage that the township offers to all retiring officers, township personnel director Gary Nichols said.

Robert J. Koegel, an assistant township manager in Lower Merion for the last eight years, will move up July 1 to the top leadership post in the township administration. The Township Board of Commissioners decided earlier this month, after several closed-door sessions, to name Koegel, 40, to replace retiring Township Manager Patrick Joyce, board President Charles F. Ward said in an interview Tuesday. He said the commissioners were to officially vote on the appointment at their business meeting last night.

The game meant nothing in the Central League standings. Lower Merion was locked into second place, Haverford High had clinched third, and their meeting Tuesday would affect the standings as much as the New Hampshire primary. But the game meant something to Lower Merion guard Alison Cohen, who hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to break a 41-41 tie and one more with no time remaining to give the visiting Aces a 44-41 victory. "Haverford-Lower Merion always is a big rivalry," the Aces' senior guard said.

Lower Merion girls soccer coach Jeanine Duncan is understandably pleased with her team's play this fall. What vexes the Aces' coach is that she doesn't get much time to enjoy her club's success. The Aces surprised league followers when they stunned Strath Haven, 2-0. But Monday, just two days after that victory, Conestoga beat the Aces, 1-0. "We didn't have any practice time at all before the Conestoga game," Duncan said. "I just don't think the girls were that excited after that big win (the previous Friday)

They're not exactly Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but Kirsten Kepner of Lower Merion and Nina Alston of Conestoga turned back the clock in a girls' Central League basketball shootout Monday night. Armed with itchy trigger fingers and aided by teammates willing to give up the ball, the pair nearly transported the sparse crowd inside the Lower Merion gym back to the Wild West. The result was an old-fashioned shoot-'em-up that saw 'Stoga escape with a 58-52 victory, leaving the two combatants weary but smiling.

Frank Ingram removes asphalt broken up by a milling machine on Trent Road between Remington and Manoa Roads in Lower Merion. The three-week job, which began last Thursday, also covers parts of North Bowman, Montgomery and Wyndon Avenues, and Airdale and Wakefield Roads.

Highlights of Monday's contests can be found at: www.philly.com/rally Final regular season. PUBLIC LEAGUE League Gold Division W   L    Washington. . . 9   0    Northeast. . . 7   2    Central. . . 6   3    Engineering & Science. . . 5   4    Franklin Learning Center. . . 5   4    Masterman. . . 4   5    Lincoln. . . 4   5    Palumbo. . . 3   6    CAPA . . . 1   8    Edison.

Maalik Wayns received the award as most outstanding player at Villanova's basketball banquet Wednesday night in the Pavilion. Mouphtaou Yarou won the Villanova Basketball Award, presented annually to the player who best embodies the essence of Villanova basketball. The native of Benin led the Wildcats with 8.2 rebounds per game and finished third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game while starting all 32 contests. Wayns, a Roman Catholic High grad who will skip his senior season to enter the NBA draft, led the Wildcats in scoring at 17.5 ppg and was named first team all-Philadelphia Big Five.

BOYS' BASKETBALL Final, 2011-12 Team Record 1. Chester 32-0 2. Neumann-Goretti 28-3 3. Lower Merion 29-4 4. Friends' Central 22-5 5. Westtown 21-10 6. Constitution 23-9 7. Malvern Prep 24-3 8. St. Joseph's Prep 21-6 9. Archbishop Carroll 20-8 10. Roman Catholic 17-10 - Rick O'Brien...

Several years after I purchased a home in Philadelphia, a tax assessor showed up at my door. After we chatted about whether I had made any improvements to the property, the lovely man disclosed that we were related and offered to freeze my tax bill. This was my introduction to Philadelphia's property-tax system. A lot has changed since. I get better city services now than in the late 1980s. Once a week, a recycling truck lumbers up the street; potholes are filled; the city helps my neighbors plant trees.

Police in Lower Merion are seeking the occupants of a gold Mercury Marquis that was seen at an attempted home break-in Monday and is believed to be linked to other area burglaries. Michael McGrath, Lower Merion's public safety superintendent, said the suspects are wanted in connection with burglaries in Lower Merion and several Delaware County communities including Haverford Township. "As of this time, no one has been injured in any incidents. In most cases, burglars prefer to target unoccupied homes," McGrath said.

STATE COLLEGE - With another awe-inspiring performance, perfection was achieved. In Saturday night's PIAA Class AAAA championship game vs. Lower Merion, Chester kept its unblemished record with rebounding ferocity, length-of-the-floor defensive pressure, and transition scoring. Defending their state title and finishing with a 32-0 mark, the Clippers throttled the Aces, 59-33, at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. Larry Yarbray's team pounded the offensive glass, collecting 24 rebounds on that end. Lower Merion, hurt by 29 turnovers, was held to 16 points in the first half and 17 in the second.

Will payback be gained? Or will the dominance continue? At 8 p.m. Saturday, in the marquee matchup of this weekend's hoops fest at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, familiar foes Lower Merion and Chester will clash for the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball championship. The Aces are out to turn the tables after losing to the Clippers, 61-53, in the District 1 final. Chester (31-0) arrives in State college seeking its 58th consecutive victory, a perfect season, and its second straight state title.