Groundhog doesn't see his shadow, predicting early spring

Associated Press•February 2, 2019

Groundhogs don't see shadows, predicting early spring

Groundhogs don't see shadows, predicting early spring

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PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — It may be hard to believe as a large swath of the U.S. thaws out from a bitter polar vortex, but spring is coming early, according to handlers for some of the country's most famous prognosticating groundhogs.

Just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW'-nee) Phil emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania at sunrise and didn't see his shadow. Nearly the same series of events unfolded about 300 miles (483 kilometers) to the east, where Staten Island Chuck's handlers also revealed the same prediction.

The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.

In reality, Phil's prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney. That's about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped attending Staten Island's Groundhog Day ceremony in 2015, a year after he accidentally dropped the furry critter that died a week later.

And he wasn't the only New York City mayor who struggled with the holiday. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten at a Groundhog Day ceremony in 2009.

Above is from:  https://news.yahoo.com/groundhog-good-news-winter-sufferers-051021562.html?.tsrc=bell-brknews

Woodstock Willie does not see his shadow, predicts early spring

POSTED 8:45 AM, FEBRUARY 2, 2019, BY ERIK RUNGE, UPDATED AT 12:29PM, FEBRUARY 2, 2019

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Woodstock Willie does not see his shadow, predicts early spring

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WOODSTOCK, Ill. — It's Groundhog Day, the day when Americans wait to find out whether groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.

In Woodstock, Ill., residents celebrate the day by waiting for Woodstock Willie's prediction. The town commemorates the day with a big celebration. The movie "Groundhog Day", starring Bill Murray, was filmed in Woodstock.

When Willie came out Saturday morning, he saw no shadow. That means an early spring.

Above is from:  https://wgntv.com/2019/02/02/woodstock-willie-predicts-early-spring/

Foxconn appears to reverse course

Foxconn appears to reverse course after talking to Trump, will do 'manufacturing' in Wisconsin

"Great news on Foxconn in Wisconsin after my conversation with" the chairman, President Donald Trump tweeted.

President Donald Trump takes a tour of Foxconn with Foxconn chairman Terry Gou, right, and CEO of SoftBank Masayoshi Son in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin on June 28, 2018.Evan Vucci / AP file

Feb. 1, 2019, 2:20 PM CST

By Corky Siemaszko

Foxconn appears to have reversed course again, saying it will go ahead with plans to build a “manufacturing facility” in Wisconsin.

Friday's announcement comes only two days after the Taiwanese electronics giant appeared to backtrack on the deal to hire thousands of blue-collar workers for the expansive new factory. That had left President Donald Trump and Wisconsin Republicans — who had touted the company's project — embarrassed.

Trump hailed Foxconn's new announcement in a tweet Friday, saying he had spoken directly about the project with company chairman Terry Gou.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Great news on Foxconn in Wisconsin after my conversation with Terry Gou!

CNBC

Foxconn, in a statement, confirmed that Trump and Gou had “a personal conversation” about the Wisconsin Valley Science and Technology Park that is currently under construction in the town of Mt. Pleasant.

The project garnered more than $4 billion in tax breaks secured by former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, and his GOP allies — enticements that Democrats and other critics denounced as a giveaway to an unreliable foreign firm.

Under the initial agreement, Foxconn promised to hire 13,000 workers, the majority of whom would build advanced TV screens at the plant.

But a furor erupted Wednesday when another top company official named Louis Woo, in an interview with Reuters, blindsided Trump and the other project supporters by announcing that the company was rethinking its plans. He said the company would hire mostly engineers and researchers for the Wisconsin campus and build the advanced TV screens elsewhere, because it considers American labor too expensive.

On Friday, however, the company issued the statement apparently aimed at quelling concerns with an assertion that it is “moving forward with plans to build an advanced manufacturing facility.” It said that the project would include a “liquid crystal module backend packaging plant” and a “high precision molding factory.”

“This campus will serve both as an advanced manufacturing facility, as well as a hub or high technology innovation for the region,” Foxconn said.

The company didn't specify how many of the 13,000 promised jobs would be the blue-collar kind that Trump and Walker had touted.

Corky Siemaszko

Above is from:  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/foxconn-appears-reverse-course-after-talking-trump-will-do-manufacturing-n965966