Former Los Alamos groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sent word this morning from his vacation spot in Maui that he did indeed see his shadow – thus predicting six more weeks of winter. Courtesy/Julie Habiger

Groundhog Day News:

This morning, Punxsutawney Phil (formerly of Los Alamos) mysteriously showed up in a photo submitted to his “handler” Julie Habiger, on Groundhog Day. Phil was spotted by a visiting tourist at a Maui resort on the beach, sporting a tan and carrying several island activity brochures.

Phil’s appearance in Maui came as no surprise to Habiger, who said after retiring to Kansas City in 2021 with the Habigers, Phil announced last year that he was tired of the harsh winter conditions in Kansas and would be “moving on.”

It had been several months since anyone heard from Phil, and Habiger said she was beginning to wonder if Phil had finally decided to retire once and for all from the public life. However, true to his nature, duty called and he responded. Phil faithfully surfaced today around 9 a.m. (because Phil is on “island time”) to make his seasonal prediction, telling those gathered around him at the resort that he definitely saw his shadow on Maui under clear blue skies and much warmer temperatures than Kansas. (Phil added that six more weeks of winter really means very little to the locals living in Maui.)

It remains a mystery how Phil traveled from Kansas City to Maui, but the tourist who interviewed Phil poolside and sent the photo to Habiger at Phil’s request said that he was definitely interested in hanging around for a few more months, because he had not yet found a way to sneak onto the boat for the local whale watching tour, and he wants to take hula dancing lessons this summer.