June 19 2008 Issue                                                     

Local News

Local singer/songwriter to perform at Pastorius
by Kristin Pazulski

Lizanne Knott, a lifelong musician and Philadelphia area native, will be gracing the stage at the Pastorius Park concert on Wednesday, June 25. Knott, who grew up in Horsham and Ambler, has been playing the guitar since she was 10 years old and has been touring the area’s stages for years as a singer/songwriter.

“I’ve been playing for forever and a day,” she said in a phone interview last week.

Knott is an “XPN Welcomes” musician who has played at many of the area’s recognized venues, including World Café Live, the Kimmel Center, Tin Angel and more. This will be her first performance at Pastorius, which she said she is excited about because it brings her two favorite performing conditions together.

“I absolutely love performing outside, and I like the smaller audience because it’s more intimate,” she said of the Pastorius’ venue, which she has learned about through her friends Melody Gardot and Phil Roy, who have performed in the concert series. “I love being able to see people’s faces, which you can do outside.”

Same man suspected in three Chestnut Hill bank robberies
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

On June 11, a man in a yellow shirt and hat robbed the Wachovia bank branch at 8527 Germantown Ave., at Evergreen Avenue.

Police believe the man is the same person who robbed five other Philadelphia bank branches, including two on the Hill in March.  

He is suspected of robbing Freedom Credit Union in the Northeast on Feb. 9, Citizens Bank in Chestnut Hill on March 10, Citibank in Chestnut Hill on March 17, St. Edmonds Credit Union in Roxborough on June 6 and M&T Bank in Center City on June 9.

As in the March robberies, the man passed a demand note to the teller, claiming that he had a gun. An undisclosed amount of money was handed to the robber.

In one of the March robberies, the robber was dressed in female Muslim garb and sunglasses that hid his face.

Local Sports

Chip Culp shares CHA’s Patterson Cup
by TOM UTESCHER

CHA’s Chip Culp seen here last September in a game against GFS is a co-recipient of his school’s Patterson Cup. (Photo by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

As a freshman, Chip Culp helped Chestnut Hill Academy win the Inter-Ac League championship in golf, and as a senior he was stationed in goal when the Blue Devils captured the league title in soccer. A lifelong Hill resident, Culp also played squash at the local school, and this year he was a team captain in all three sports.

He was honored for his contributions at graduation ceremonies last Tuesday, when he became co-recipient of the J.L. Patterson Cup, awarded annually by CHA to the outstanding athlete in the graduating class.

Culp, who admittedly likes changing sports with the seasons, had to settle on just one as he looked forward to playing at the NCAA Division I level. He went with golf, which he’ll pursue at Lafayette College over the next four years.

“It’s the sport that I’m most passionate about, the one I can keep playing and not get tired of,” he explained.

Tori Roebuck wins Springside’s Vare Award
by TOM UTESCHER

Springside’s Tori Roebuck standing guard at the goal. (Photo by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

Lifelong Springsider Tori Roebuck was an accomplished gymnast during her lower and middle school years, and when she switched her focus to team sports as she entered upper school, she continued to be an outstanding performer.

She would end up as a key starter for the field hockey and volleyball squads, but it was as a lacrosse goalie that she excelled above all. She will continue to play lacrosse in college, having accepted a scholarship to the University of Richmond during the fall signing period last November. For her commitment and enthusiasm, as well as her all-round athletic ability, Roebuck was named the 2008 recipient of Springside School’s Phyllis M. Vare Award, presented annually to the outstanding athlete in the graduating class.