The mayor of a southern Wisconsin town got up close and personal with a groundhog Monday. Sun Prairie Mayor Jonathan Freund was presenting Jimmy the groundhog during a ceremony, and the critter bit down on the mayor's left ear. Freund flinched, but he soldiered on, announcing that Jimmy had predicted an early spring. That's when Jimmy's handlers, Jerry and Maria Hahn, said the mayor was mistaken: Jimmy had actually predicted there would be six more weeks of winter, according to The Associated Press. The city then issued a statement that said only the mayor can interpret Jimmy's prognostications.

— Daniel Arkin with The Associated Press