NORWICH – Afton attorney Mary Jo Long and Helen Slottje, of Ithaca, will offer their expertise on the legal rights of local governments in addressing natural gas drilling issues at a free public informational forum tonight at 7 at the United Church of Christ, 11 W. Main, Norwich.

Also tonight, the economics of gas drilling, its costs and benefits, will be addressed at a forum at 6:30 p.m. at the Vestal Library, 320 Vestal Parkway East. Economic researcher and consultant Jannette Barth, Ph.D., is the speaker.