Christina Di Cerbo copies an inscription on the ceiling of an Egyptian temple called Medinet Habu.
Ray Johnson
And have a Friday.
In today’s newsletter, we have 3 stories that show the other tactics that other people maintain in the story.
You see it in the University of Chicago researchers racing to save ancient carvings in Egypt; the beloved Italian restaurant founder pivoting to stay in the neighborhood; and the car enthusiast working to take a long-gone, niche model back on the road.
Those stories are below, along with network news you want to know this afternoon.
⏱️ : A 7-minute read
A century of work: For 100 years, Egyptologists, illustrators and photographers from the University of Chicago have been coming to a remarkably well-preserved Egyptian temple complex called Medinet Habu, near the banks of Nile River in a city called Luxor. They bear cameras, pens, and in the early days, rickety wooden ladders. The researchers take photographs and make drawings of each hieroglyphic and relief carving — thousands of them.
It’s a race against time: Now, researchers are scrambling to record and maintain the site’s ancient history, while climate change and groundwater infiltration from nearby farms threaten to erase it. Due to the accumulation of water flow, the sandstone that has existed for thousands of years is disintegrating and reverting to a desert.
Key quote: “That’s why we do what we do,” says Egyptologist Brett McClain, who oversees operations at the “Chicago House,” the nickname given to scholars’ archives, for the university’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. “Physical monuments may not survive, but to the extent that we succeed, we will ensure that their ancient data is preserved for the future. “
Robert Bevis of Law Weapons and Supply in Naperville holds an AR15 rifle.
Hein/Sun-Times Rich Archive
Ice skaters at an ice rink set up Wrigley Field, as part of the Winterland attraction, in 2022.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Great Scott! Mike McElhattan pulled a 1981 DeLorean from a Wisconsin barn, which had been in state for decades, with a drab finish and rodent evidence to prove it.
DeLorean Midwest
Mike McElhattan got a message a few months ago from a guy in New Mexico who told him he wanted to sell a DeLorean, the only car from the early 1980s with gullwing doors and a stainless metal exterior noted in “Back to the Future. “Films.
McElhattan, who buys and sells the cars and owns a DeLorean repair shop in Crystal Lake, inquired further about the man’s offer, despite knowing he wouldn’t take the 1,300-mile drive to pick up the car.
It turned out that the DeLorean DMC-12 belonged to the man’s 90-year-old uncle, who lived near Waukesha, Wisconsin, about 60 miles from McElhattan’s store, DeLorean Midwest, so he made the trip.
“The car is surely dirty. It’s in a gravel-floored barn, tucked away in a dark corner,” McElhattan said.
The mice had also already occupied almost every single seat in the vehicle. But McElhattan said he couldn’t help it. The odometer read just 977 miles, and the rest of the rear-engined two-seater sports car looked like it was in smart condition, even accounting for dirt and mouse droppings.
Since its arrival at DeLorean Midwest, the car’s engine is now running and its exterior has been completely cleaned and drained. McElhattan expects the car to be restored and sold next year, but “the car is growing for me,” he admitted.
What’s a business in your neighborhood that you would consider to be an institution or community staple? Tell us why.
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Editor: Satchel Price Newsletter Reporter: Matt Moore Editor: Angie Myers