Learn about a Leap Day newspaper, high-tech MTA cameras, and more in today’s edition of Bwoglines!

Happening in the World: La Bougie du Sapeur, a satirical French tabloid that only publishes new issues on February 29, released its twelfth issue today. It was created in 1980 by a group of friends who “wanted to have a laugh,” and remains the world’s only four-yearly newspaper. The paper is not available online and can only be bought at newspaper kiosks. (BBC)

Happening in the US: The Smokehouse Fire, a wildfire currently burning in the Panhandle section of Texas, is expected to slow with today’s forecast of colder weather and snow in the area. It is the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history, having already burned 1,300 square miles. National Weather Service meteorologist Samuel Scoleri hopes that the lower humidity brought on by the weather will allow firefighters to make progress on containing it. (AP)

Happening in NYC: Dozens of high-tech cameras have been installed at Manhattan intersections ahead of the MTA’s launch of congestion pricing, which would place tolls on vehicles entering traffic-heavy zones during certain times of day. The cameras are designed to automatically track and toll cars by using infared illumination to photograph license plates. Despite several lawsuits aiming to stop the congestion pricing program, the MTA will continue to set up tech ahead of the program’s June launch. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Presidential Scholars in Society and Neuroscience will host “The Frog in the Forest: Sound Art & Science to Calm Your Brain” today from 5:30 to 7 pm in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center. The event is described as “part lecture, part concert, part downtown performance art.” Registration to attend in-person or on Zoom is required.

Frog via Bwog Archives