The week's good news: November 22, 2018

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1. 'Indiana Jones of the art world' finds ancient mosaic stolen from Cyprus
2. Experimental treatment could protect kids against peanut allergies
3. 'Batkid' Miles Scott is cancer free 5 years after saving San Francisco
4. 9-year-old starts family knitting club to make warm clothes for those in need
5. Seattle teacher wants all students to experience the joys of a bookstore

published 22 November 2018

1. 'Indiana Jones of the art world' finds ancient mosaic stolen from Cyprus

A 1,600-year-old mosaic depicting St. Mark that was missing for 40 years is back in Cyprus, thanks to the "Indiana Jones of the art world." Arthur Brand of The Netherlands is an art investigator, and after two years of searching for the artwork, which was looted from an Orthodox Christian church in Cyprus in the 1970s, he finally found the mosaic in an apartment in Monaco. He told Agence France-Presse that a British family bought the mosaic "in good faith more than four decades ago." When he finally had the mosaic in his possession, it was "one of the greatest moments of my life," he said. Brand delivered the mosaic to the Cypriot embassy in The Hague on Friday, and it was back in Cyprus by Sunday. He earned the Indiana Jones nickname in 2015 after he found two horse statues that once stood outside Adolf Hitler's office.

Two-thirds of the young participants in a year-long clinical trial about peanut allergies are now able to ingest the equivalent of two peanuts a day without any adverse reactions. The results of the study were announced Sunday during the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology conference in Seattle. For six months, 372 participating children, under medical supervision, were slowly exposed to peanut protein, starting with the smallest of doses and taking more as their tolerance increased. Peanut allergies affect 1 in every 50 American children, causing more deaths from anaphylaxis than any other food allergy. The oral immunotherapy regimen did not work for all participants, and is not a cure for peanut allergies, but it does aim to reduce sensitivity to peanuts, so a child that accidentally comes into contact with one does not suffer a major reaction.

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On the fifth anniversary of Miles Scott, a.k.a. Batkid, saving San Francisco from the Penguin and the Riddler, the Make-a-Wish Foundation gave a wonderful update: Scott is now cancer free. Scott was 5 years old and battling leukemia when Make-a-Wish teamed up with the San Francisco mayor's office, police and fire departments, and the Giants to turn the city into Gotham just for him. After he spent the day getting rid of bad guys and rescuing Giants mascot Lou Seal, Scott received a key to the city, and the San Francisco Chronicle published the Gotham City Chronicle with his face on the cover along with the headline "Batkid Saves City." Last week, Make-a-Wish said Scott is "a happy, healthy fifth grader," and has been in remission since 2013. He plays baseball in Little League, helps on his family farm, and loves science and robotics.

Alex Reins has been busy knitting hats and scarves for people who will need them this winter. The 9-year-old from Lakewood, Colorado, was inspired to give back after hearing about a person who was discharged from the hospital wearing only a hospital gown and socks, and had to wait for the bus in the cold. "His big heart saw that and he thought, 'We just need to do something to help other people,'" Reins' great-aunt, Cherie DeHerrera, told 9News.  Reins, his mother, Bri Reins, and three great-aunts regularly get together to knit for what they call Alex's Warm Hat Project. They've worked diligently, making more than 300 hats and scarves, which they've dropped off at local food banks and shelters. "You can turn a ball of yarn into something beautiful," Bri Reins said.

This was not your average field trip. Instead of visiting a museum or watching a performance, about 100 students from Seattle's Garfield High School last week traveled to the Elliott Bay Book Co. Each teen had a $50 gift card they could use to buy whatever books they wanted. English teacher Adam Gish told The Seattle Times that reading "can humanize us and help us, especially at this age, discover our identities because we discover that other people go through the same thing." After finding out that several of his students had never been to a bookstore before, Gish started taking a few a year to the Elliott Bay Book Co. Thanks to a private donor, Gish was able to bring dozens of ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders this year, and they walked away with a total of 450 books.

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.