🍦 Splurging on scoops | Morning Newsletter

It’s Friday, Philly. The mostly sunny forecast brings with it temps in the mid-90s and a heat index crossing into triple digits.

Enjoying a frozen cone is a classic way to beat that heat. Less cool? Ice cream prices are rising across the region — up to $8 for a small serving at higher-end shops. Read on for the story about how inflation has impacted the popular summertime treat.

In other heat-related news, Swarthmore College could become a model for sustainability in the face of climate change. Find the details in architecture critic Inga Saffron’s column about the suburban school’s new green tech developments.

Here’s what you need to know today.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Following burger costs’ ascent, another summer staple is getting more expensive across the Philadelphia region.

🍨 How expensive? Here’s a taste of prices around the region: A small serving will cost you $5 at Weckerly’s in Fishtown, $6.25 at Springer’s in Stone Harbor, and $6.75 at Scoop DeVille in Center City.

🍦 It’s not just the local parlors where customers’ wallets are melting. The cost of a half gallon of prepackaged ice cream is up by 27% nationally over the past four years.

🍧 The rising cost of dairy and labor is partly to blame, Philly treatpreneurs told The Inquirer. Some who run fancier shops also tout their quality to justify increases.

🐄 “It’s a premium high-end product that is artisanally made,” said the owner of Old City’s Franklin Fountain, where two flavors on a waffle cone cost a whopping $17. “We’ve always been on the higher end because of the value of the experience we’re trying to offer.”

Consumer reporter Erin McCarthy has the (you knew this was coming) scoop.

P.S. If you’re still craving a chilled dessert, check out The Inquirer’s guide to the region’s best frozen treats, from soft serve to water ice to sundaes.

Swarthmore College is building a green tech arsenal for the fight against climate change.

The small liberal arts school is installing an underground geo-exchange loop that can funnel heat and air-conditioning to eight college buildings, sans fossil fuels. It’s an ambitious project that will bring the suburban campus closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 — and could make it a model for other institutions that want to develop their own renewable energy initiatives.

But Swarthmore’s challenges in going green are different from those faced by urban schools, like the University of Pennsylvania in dense Philadelphia.

Architecture critic Inga Saffron’s latest column details what can be learned from new approaches to sustainability.

Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.

This week, we have an explainer from reporter Milan Varia on the ornately engraved arch that once framed Broad Street near Sansom.

The arch was erected to be a centerpiece for Philadelphia’s Peace Jubilee, which celebrated the end of the Spanish-American War. But you’d be forgiven for not knowing it ever existed, since it appears to have been in place for just a few months in 1898. Here’s the full explanation.

Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.

Which chain will open its latest store — potentially its largest in the state — in Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Gibbon Building?

A) Wawa

B) Amazon Fresh

C) Starbucks

D) Sheetz

Think you know? Check your answer.

📚 Wondering: What the Free Library Author Series will look like come fall.

🎤 Inspired by: The story of this formerly incarcerated entrepreneur.

🏃🏾‍♀️ Watching: Penn grad Nia Akins run the 800 meters at 2:12 p.m., plus a bunch of other local Olympians.

Philly’s IBX-sponsored bike-share program, which is bringing back single-ride passes.

GIDEON

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Wendy Coppock, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Jordan Mailata. The Eagles offensive tackle and sauce connoisseur got Poi Dog Sauces into the Linc while raising money for Maui.

🏖️ I’ll be channeling these kids’ determined vibes during my own beach trip this weekend, cloudy forecast be darned. Whatever you get up to, I hope it’s a good time. Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.