First, a note about something we're really excited about: the Innovation Trail's Emma Jacobs is heading to Canada to investigate the across-the-border roots of much of New York's hydropower - from Quebec, to Prince Edward Island, all the way up to Labrador!
Join her on the road by following her on Twitter.
Next, your Trail Mix:
Albany bans fracking.
PEF gets its deal to avoid layoffs, but now has to vote yes.
The race to be New York City's engineering school heats up.
Fracking
Albany's Common Council has passed a ban on fracking, putting the city at risk of being sued by a drilling company like Dryden and Middlefield (Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, Times Union).
The fate of the town of Dryden's ban on fracking hinges on the upcoming election - and the election hinges on the fracking ban (Matt Richmond, Innovation Trail).
Cortland county's clerk is fighting leasing abuses by drilling companies in the only way she knows how - on paper (Emma Jacobs, Innovation Trail).
The DEC is considering a variety of impact fees and revenue streams to accompany drilling, like charging drillers for triggering compulsory integration hearings (Jon Campbell, Vote Up!).
The ad wars have begun in the natural gas debate in Pennsylvania (Susan Phillips, State Impact PA).
Government
The state's PEF union has brokered a deal with the governor to prevent 3,500 layoffs - now the union has until November 3 to vote on the deal (Karen DeWitt, New York State Public Radio).
FEMA is finally bringing temporary housing to the Southern Tier's flood victims (Steve Reilly, Press & Sun-Bulletin).
A community group in Binghamton is defining what a "functional family" is for zoning purposes. It's part of an effort to beautify the neighborhood and crack down on crumbling student housing (Nancy Dooling, Press & Sun-Bulletin).
A state agency says industrial development agencies frequently dole out "questionable" grants to private businesses or organizations (Rick Moriarty, Post-Standard).
A new nanotechnology facility in Albany could create up to 1,000 new jobs - but it won't return any taxes to the town, because it's being built on state land (Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, Times Union).
Despite big public support for a millionaire's tax in recent polling, Governor Cuomo isn't budging on the matter (Tom Precious, Buffalo News).
Senate Charles Schumer is lobbying the federal Economic Development Administration to fund a business incubator in Buffalo (Daniel Robison, Innovation Trail).
It's been a month since the movement to Occupy Wall Street began, and as the Innovation Trail's Marie Cusick reports, the protesters are holding strong.
Higher education
The race to build an engineering school in partnership with New York City is heating up. All Things Considered had a conversation with business reporter Daniel Massey about the bidding process yesterday. And top contenders Cornell and Stanford are backing building the campus on Roosevelt Island (Dave Buscema, Daily News).
SUNY has a new board chair - it's H. Carl McCall, a former comptroller (AP).
A SUNY Oswego professor has edited a text about how regions can leverage government support, private entrepreneurship, and academia to create economic growth - gee, sound familiar? (Palladium Times).
The University of Rochester has received funding to measure PCB and mercury contamination in the Genesee River (James Goodman, Democrat and Chronicle).
Business
Small business lending is on the rise - a positive sign, according to economists (Jonathan D. Epstein, Buffalo News).
A Rochester entrepreneur wants to revive the concept of a ferry to Toronto - and says he's planning to have the service online next spring (Brian Sharp, Democrat and Chronicle).
Ford workers in Hamburg have voted "yes" on a new UAW contract (Matt Glynn, Buffalo News).
Woman are less likely to support new developments and construction than men, according to a new poll (Melissa Lafsky, Infrastructurist).
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