Hudson gets nation's first Animal Welfare-approved restaurant
William M. Dowd reports in examiner.com that Grazin', the diner restaurant that opens Saturday, Oct. 1 at 717 Warren St. in Hudson, is the first restaurant in the nation to be an Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) operation. "That means it is first in the U.S. to use only meat, eggs and dairy products certified by the AWA organization. Restaurants can earn the designation only if all such products are from AWA-approved farms," Dowd writes. Grazin' is owned by Dan and Susan Gibson and his family own also operate Angus Acres farm in Ghent. The menu includes eight different burgers, all made using their local grass-fed cows. Read the entire story in examiner.com. (h/t The Gossips of Rivertown)

An island unto himself
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in The Daily Mail that on Monday the U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved a proposal to name a Hudson River island after Catskill environmentalist Doug Bush. He, "fished the waters and contributed to the island's preservation; it continues to be a home for bald eagles and other bird species," according to Antrim. “My dad would be very proud that this went through,” said Catskill Village President Vincent Seeley, whose late father Jeff was a childhood friend of Bush, who died in 2001. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

DEC issues draft regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wednesday, Sept. 28, issued draft regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing based on the proposed requirements contained in the agency's revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement released earlier this month, and also announced four public hearings for citizens to air their views on the issue. The hearings will be held:
• Nov. 16: Dansville Middle School Auditorium, 31 Clara Barton St., Dansville, NY 14437
• Nov. 17: The Forum Theatre, 236 Washington Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901
• Nov. 29: Sullivan County Community College, Seelig Theatre, 112 College Rd, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759
• Nov. 30: Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 10007
Each public hearing will have an afternoon and an evening session from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., respectively. Comments will be accepted in written and oral format at the hearings. Once the comment period is complete Dec. 12, DEC will review the comments on the revised draft SGEIS and proposed regulations and prepare responses to be released with the final SGEIS and final regulations. No permits for high-volume hydraulic fracturing will be issued until the SGEIS is finalized and DEC issues the required Findings Statement. Comments can be submitted online at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76838.html or by mail to:
Attn: dSGEIS Comments
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-6510

Dilan: GOP is dragging its feet on prison gerrymandering
Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential, the Albany Times-Union's political blog, reports that Senate Republicans are challenging the constitutionality of a 2010 law to count prisoners at their last known address instead of their jail cells. A hearing before Albany County Supreme Court Justice Eugene Devine will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4. During a phone interview with the Albany Times Union on Wednesday, Sept. 28, New York State Senator Martin Dilan, D-Brooklyn, alleged Senate Republicans are dragging their feet crunching the new prison counts:

“The Senate majority staff, in the background, has been doing everything behind the scenes to make sure people don’t get counted,” said Dilan. “Publicly they’re saying one thing and behind closed doors they’re doing another. The Assembly has been doing a very good job at trying to geocode and put everyone back in place, but I was informed by my staff was that the majority’s executive director was saying nobody should be counted. They’re not moving forward toward proper geocoding. They’re just looking not to do it.”

Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

Tune in Hudson Common Council
Monday night the Hudson Common Council held a Special Meeting about the LWRP -- the proposed waterfront development plan -- at the Hudson Central Fire Station and Dan Udell was there to record it for WGXC. The public did not get the opportunity to speak to their representatives at the meeting, but the public can hear the meeting at 4 a.m. early Friday morning, Sept. 30 on WGXC 90.7-FM. The Hudson Common Council passed the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program at the meeting. Click here to listen to the recording of the entire meeting