Midday Roundup: Groundhogs don't know squat about the weather

World’s worst weatherman? Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog of the day, saw his shadow this morning in Pennsylvania, predicting, as the tradition goes, another six weeks of winter. The Groundhog Day tradition comes from a Scottish poem about Candlemas Day, a Christian holiday on Feb. 2 commemorating Jesus’ presentation at the temple after his birth:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, There’ll be two winters in the year. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.

The facts, though, show the tradition should be reversed. Records of the groundhog’s yearly predictions going back to 1887 show that the groundhog has only been correct in his forecast about 39 percent of the time. If a cloudy day instead of a sunny one meant a long winter, Punxsatawney Phil would have been much more reliable.

Patriots’ game. The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl after edging out the defending champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Football fans gathered around their TVs from coast to coast were treated to a memorable game. The Patriots held on for a 28-24 win in a contest that went down to the wire. Quarterback Tom Brady’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman put the Patriots up with two minutes left. And an interception by rookie defensive back Malcolm Butler sealed the win. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP after launching his 12th career Super Bowl touchdown pass, breaking Joe Montana’s record.

Bought and sold. The American Bible Society (ABS) has sold its New York City headquarters building to a real estate development company for $300 million. AvalonBay Communities Inc. plans to build a residential tower on the site of the “Bible House” in Manhattan, once ABS’s lease runs out in the third quarter of this year. Last week, ABS announced it would relocate to Philadelphia, a more affordable town with better livability for ABS employees. The move also keeps ABS from having to complete $20 million in renovations on its building by 2016 to meet city code. ABS, founded in 1816, helps distribute Bibles in multiple languages around the world.

Unnecessary epidemic. A measles outbreak that started at Disney theme parks in California has spread to multiple states. In a conference call with reporters, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said researchers are still trying to track down “patient zero.” The measles vaccine still prevents the disease effectively, she said, adding, “This is not a problem of the measles vaccine not working. This is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.” There are now nearly 100 cases of measles reported, and half of them have been linked directly to Disney parks in California. The rest are spread across eight other states ranging as far east as Michigan.

Box office smash. The movie American Sniper has shot down another box-office record. The Clint Eastwood film based on the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle took in another $32 million over the last three days, a record for a Super Bowl weekend. The film has now grossed about $250 million in just three weeks of wide release. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared today Chris Kyle Day in tribute to military heroes.

WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington, Jim Henry, and Albin Sadar contributed to this report.