THE 12:30 REPORT: Your News Update
Aspiring teacher killed: A 23-year-old Minnesota native who came to Philadelphia in hopes of teaching math in the city’s school system was fatally wounded while leaving the midnight shift of his temporary Starbucks job. Beau Zabel had lived in South Philly for a short six weeks before he was shot in the neck. Zabel chose Philadelphia over Chicago for the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program, which would have enabled him to teach while getting certified through Drexel. No arrests have been made. [Inquirer]
The City of (Big) Brotherly Love: Ever feel like you’re being watched? Soon you might be right. In a scary mix of surveillance and marketing, Moto Media is set to install a camera inside a Suburban Station billboard promoting the Philadelphia Soul. The camera does not record images or video, but will trace points on your face to determine your approximate age, sex and the amount of time spent looking at the ad. [KYW]
A second suspicious blaze in Wildwood: An early morning fire badly damaged a section of Morey’s Pier on the Wildwood boardwalk. It took more than two hours to control flames that tore through rides and businesses at the popular shore destination. Eight fire companies were called to the scene, and two firefighters suffered minor injuries. This is the second fire in a month within a few blocks of each other. Both fires are being considered suspicious. [6 ABC]
Sleeping pills for sleeping patients: Local doctors recently made a discovery that might improve the lives of vegetative patients. Dr. John Whyte, director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Philadelphia, gave 15 vegetative patients Ambien, a popular sleeping pill. According to Whyte, one of the patients — who had been in a vegetative state for four years — “went from really doing nothing to watching people move around the room, tracking them with his eyes, following some commands to move his hand and leg, waived goodbye to the examiner.” Whyte received a grant for a nationwide study to begin this fall. [KYW]
