Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union on the televised debate between Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and challenger Wendy Long, Wed., Oct. 17, at Skidmore College. The debate revealed clear splits between the candidates over whether New York should move forward with natural gas hydrofracking and whether abortion rights should  be upheld, gun rights and job growth. Gillibrand, a Democrat, is seeking her first full term in the U.S. Senate. She said hydrofracking should not be allowed until chemicals used in the drilling process are disclosed and studied for health effects. She also said plans must be in place for dealing with wastewater and sealing abandoned wells. Long, a Republican attorney from Manhattan, said those are "phony concerns" and asserted that hydrofracking has been "completely studied." An August poll by the Siena Research Institute found 77 percent of voters surveyed had not heard of Long, and they preferred Gillibrand 65-22 percent. Read the full story in the Times Union.