Editor’s Note: A version of this column was originally published in 2007.

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]unxsutawney Phil must be stopped.

You know Phil. Every Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, he is yanked from a tree stump in Punxsutawney, Pa. If he sees his shadow, his organizers allege, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring will be just around the corner.

Millions have enjoyed this primitive ritual for years, but now there’s a problem.

Groundhog Day evolved from Candlemas Day...