Clearly annoyed groundhog bites mayor's ear during celebration
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
It's all fun and games until Jimmy the Groundhog nearly bites off the mayor's ear.
After being roused early on Monday, Jimmy was paraded in front of the citizens of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, during the 67th annual Groundhog Day celebration. Mayor Jon Freund said he would "listen closely" as the groundhog "shared" his seasonal prediction, but Jimmy wasn't having it, and instead of imparting his wisdom decided to attack the mayor's ear. "He got his point across," Freund said. "He certainly has my ear."
Freund announced that Jimmy did not see his shadow, thus it would be an early spring. Jimmy's handler, Jerry Hahn, said that the mayor misunderstood — most likely because Jimmy took part of his hearing along with his ear — and the groundhog had actually seen his shadow, meaning there would be six more weeks of winter. There have been 11 Jimmy the Groundhogs, Madison.com reports, and this was the first — and quite possibly last — celebration for this particular Jimmy.—Catherine Garcia
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
