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U.S. NEWS Monday 3 February 2020

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Pennsylvania groundhog declares early spring 'a certainty'

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) his inner circle announced weeks of winter thrice and
— Pennsylvania's most fa- that spring would come an early spring twice. Ac-
mous groundhog on Sun- early this year. cording to records dating
day declared: "Spring will The annual event has its back to 1887, the Penn-
be early, it's a certainty." origin in a German legend sylvanian prognosticator
At sunrise on Groundhog that says if a furry rodent has predicted more winter
Day, members of Punx- casts a shadow on Feb. more than 100 times, mak-
sutawney Phil's top hat- 2, winter continues. If not, ing this year's forecast a
wearing inner circle re- spring comes early. rare one overall.
vealed the cuddly oracle's In reality, Phil's prediction Phil's prediction was mir-
prediction — his 134th, ac- is decided ahead of time rored by one of his fellow
cording to the Pennsylva- by the group on Gobbler's groundhogs in New York.
nia Tourism Office. Knob, a tiny hill just outside At the Staten Island Zoo,
Awoken by the crowd's Punxsutawney. schoolchildren and elect-
chants of "Phil!" the ground- That's about 65 miles (105 ed officials cheered Sun-
hog was hoisted in the air kilometers) northeast of day morning as a curtain
for the assembly to hail be- Pittsburgh. was pulled back at a glass Groundhog Club co-handler John Griffiths holds Punxsutawney
Phil during the 134th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's
fore making his decision. He Over the past five years — enclosure containing Stat- Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
then grasped the glove of from 2015 through 2019 — en Island Chuck. He also Associated Press
a handler as a member of Phil has predicted six more didn't see his shadow.q