How Russia’s Caucasus Breeds Terror, The Boston bombing suspects’ roots near Chechnya raise concerns about links to insurgent groups. Russia’s Caucasus: breeding ground for terror, Militants from Chechnya and other restive provinces in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus have targeted Moscow and other areas with bombings and hostage-takings, but if it turns out that the suspects in the Boston bombings are linked to those insurgencies it would mark the first time the Russian conflict had spawned a major terror attack in the United States.

The suspects were identified by law enforcement officials and family members as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechens with ties to the Russian region. There was no immediate information of their links, if any, to any insurgent group.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a gun battle with police in Massachusetts overnight, officials said. His 19-year-old brother escaped.

Before moving to the United States, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lived briefly in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic that has become the epicenter of the Islamic insurgency that spilled over from Chechnya. On his page on the social networking site VKontakte, Tsarnaev said he attended School No. 1 from 1999 until 2001.

The principal of School No. 1 in Makhachkala, Irina Bandurina, told the AP that Tsarnaev left for the U.S. in March 2002.

The suspects’ father, who lives in Makhachkala, told the AP his younger son was a second-year medical student and “a true angel.”

Door-To-Door Manhunt For Boston Suspect, Police are looking for a man identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after a violent spree left the other suspect dead. Boston Marathon bomber manhunt: City on lockdown as authorities hunt for bomb suspect, Thousands of law enforcement officers are entering the 15th hour of a massive, door-to-door manhunt for a suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings that wounded more than 170 people and left three dead.

A late-night police chase and shootout left one marathon bombing suspect-26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev-dead and the other, his younger brother, on the run, police here said. One police officer was killed and another seriously wounded during the violent spree. The city of Boston and its surrounding areas have ground to a standstill as the manhunt continues in a 20-block radius of Watertown, with local leaders warning residents to stay indoors. Police also announced there will be a “controlled explosion” in a building in Cambridge on Friday afternoon.

NBC News reported that police have uncovered seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Watertown and in the brothers’ home in Cambridge.

“It is important that folks remain indoors, keep the doors locked and not open the door unless there is a uniformed law enforcement officer on the other side of it,” Gov Deval Patrick said at a 12:30 p.m. press conference.

The suspect on the lam is Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass., a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He and his brother’s family is originally from Chechnya, a volatile and once war-torn southern Russian republic. The family fled to Kyrgyzstan and eventually immigrated to the United States as refugees about 10 years ago.

His older brother studied at a local community college and was a Golden Gloves boxer. Tamerlan Tsarnaev also reportedly had a wife and young child. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was remembered by former classmates as bright and personable, posted links to pro-Chechnyan independence sites on his social media page, and listed his world view as “Islam.” It’s unclear if either the separatist politics of Chechnya or their religion had anything to do with the suspects’ crime. Tsarnaev appeared to be posting to his Twitter account even after the attacks, writing in his last post on Wednesday, “I’m a stress free kind of guy.” His posts covered everything from cute photos of his cat to rap lyrics.

The Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC), of which the State of Wyoming is an associate member, has awarded two Wyoming mines for reclamation work in the Coal and Noncoal Reclamation Award Categories. The Interstate Mining Compact Commission is a multi-state governmental organization that represent the natural resource and related environmental protection interests of its member states. It is based in Herndon, VA.

MiSWACO logoThe M-I SWACO Bentonite Mine in Big Horn County, was awarded the winner of the IMCC’s Reclamation Award in the Noncoal Category. This strip mining operation has affected over 5,300 acres of private, federal and state lands since the 1950?s. M-I SWACO researched innovative reclamation practices to complete 9 related projects in 2012.

In the mine’s award application, the company mentioned that these reclamation projects come with a financial cost, but the positive results of these efforts have been recognized as having value towards its standards of environmental responsibility and overall excellence.

M-I SWACO’s Big Horn County operations are based out of Greybull. The company also has a billing office and a warehouse in Riverton.

bridgercoalcoThe Bridger Coal Mine, near Rock Springs, WY, received an Honorable Mention in the Coal Reclamation Category. “Your nomination demonstrates the kind of quality and innovation that speaks loudly and clearly of the state’s and the mining industry’s dedication to maintenance of environmental protection through efficient mining and reclamation practices,” said Gregory Conrad, IMCC Executive Director in a recent letter to the Bridger Mine.

Luke Cole is one of state Rep. Gerald Gay’s many online hecklers. Cole is a 20-year-old University of Wyoming student who wants to see same-sex couples have the same civil liberties as others in the state. Gay is opposed to the idea. The politician and Cole went at it on Facebook on Tuesday evening.

“Given your obsessiveness over hating gay people, it seems pretty likely that you actually are gay,” Cole wrote to Gay. “Are you Gerry? Do you like men? Probably.”

Gay responded a few minutes later.

“You know my address. Why don’t you drop by and find out for yourself. I’ll be waiting,” he wrote.

The Casper Republican has a long history of online correspondence with his detractors. A dozen or more advocacy groups hound Gay via email and Facebook. Gay’s surname and outspoken stance against same-sex marriage make him an easy target for supporters of same-sex couples in the state.

“Because of my name, I’m a lightning rod,” he said.

If Cole were to come knocking on Gay’s door, the lawmaker said he would invite him in to talk.

“I would ask him, ‘Am I as bad a guy as you think I am?’” Gay said.

Gay said he’s known as an intolerant homophobe by many in the state. There’s a website dedicated to scorning Gay and a Facebook group calling for his resignation from the Legislature. But that doesn’t stop him from chatting online with people who aren’t his constituents and oppose his views.

“He didn’t take the high road on this and act like an elected official of the Wyoming Legislature,” said Jeran Artery, chairman of Wyoming Equality, a gay rights advocacy group that lobbies the Legislature.

A fireball of space debris brightened the sky above Wyoming on Thursday morning for a few seconds.

The fireball was spotted traveling southwest to northeast at about 5:45 a.m.

Witnesses described the color of the fireball as either green, blue and teal, or blue and white.

The American Meteor Society tells the Casper Star-Tribune (http://bit.ly/YXZI8X ) that it received 55 reports about the fireball.

Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day will be held on April 1 with ceremonies in Sheridan, Riverton, Afton and Rock Springs.

Gov. Matt Mead will be among those attending and speaking.

The day of welcoming veterans was codified in state law in 2011 by the Legislature.

All Wyoming veterans, especially those from the Korean War, Vietnam War, and other veterans who were not properly thanked upon their return home, are invited to attend and receive the welcome and thanks.

A West Michigan man is creating a buzz with his new creation of uniquely flavored ice cream cones.

James Moseley, owner of Mr. Devin’s Flavored Cones & Bowls, made the top 10 list during the Whitecaps menu fan contest this year. His Da Vinci Cone did not win the contest, but other flavors will be sold during the season this year.

Moseley says the experience has been positive.

“It allowed me to get feedback on the product and see how people would respond,” said Moseley. I’m excited, the ballpark has thousands of people every year. I’m sure they will fall in love with product.”

Cone and bowl flavors include, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon, blueberry and garlic & chili cones.

Moseley says the garlic and chili are great for savory meals like mac n’ cheese and meatballs.

Dr. Kevin Roberts, incoming president of Wyoming Catholic College, says he is “thrilled and humbled” to head a school with “supernatural joy” and a desire to be a leading force in Catholic higher education.

“Every single person there from a new student to a graduating student to a faculty member…is absolutely committed to honoring God’s will, to being devoted and dedicated to what is good, true and beautiful,” Roberts told CNA March 22.

He said the college shows a “tremendous passion” for the Catholic faith.

Wyoming Catholic College opened in 2007 in Lander, Wyo. It is based on a “Great Books” curriculum that examines the prominent written works of Western civilization in a Catholic environment. The college seeks to educate the mind, body and soul, and it has a unique outdoor leadership program that trains students in wilderness travel and backcountry skills as well as personal development, teamwork and decision making.

Its requirements also reflect Wyoming’s cowboy culture: college freshmen must take a horsemanship course.

The new hotline for low-income people seeking legal aid is getting pretty warm.

About 150 people a day are calling with legal problems, said Ray Macchia, executive director of Legal Aid of Wyoming.

If the callers meet the income guidelines, they can speak that day to an attorney about their civil legal issues, he said.

Macchia’s federally funded organization runs the hotline, which is financed by a grant from the Wyoming Center for Legal Aid.

The center, a new judicial entity of the Wyoming Supreme Court, was created on April 19, 2011, a year after the Legislature passed the Wyoming Civil Legal Services Act. The center receives money from a $10 filing fee for civil legal actions.

It is Wyoming’s first state-sponsored civil legal aid program. The goal is to attempt to meet the heavy demand from low-income people for legal help in civil actions.

The income limit for people to get help from the center is 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $22,340 per year for a single person and $46,100 for a family of four.

The legal aid center, said executive director and attorney Angie Dorsch, serves as a central hub resource for existing legal aid providers and for new community-centered organizations.

The center’s appropriation from the court filing fees is $1.52 million per year. The center allocated $250,000 for grants between July 1 and now. Those grants have provided assistance to nearly 1,000 people, Dorsch said.

On Thursday the center issued an invitation to nonprofit organizations and pilot programs to submit proposals for the next round of $750,000 in grants to deliver legal services or expand pro bono legal services.

A product of a group of judges and attorneys who sat on the Wyoming Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, the center got off to a slow start, which provoked criticism by legal aid attorneys.

“It’s definitely improved,” Macchia said last week.

His nonprofit legal aid law firm has an administrative office in Cheyenne with satellite offices in Casper, Lander and the Wind River Indian Reservation. Each office is staffed by attorneys and support staff.

The new center, he said, is now paying for an office in Rock Springs and is planning to expand to Gillette before the end of the year.

A portion of Chicago Drive was shut down Sunday after a crash in Wyoming.

According to the Wyoming Police Department, a driver lost control and hit a utility pole around 3:15 AM Sunday.

The crash happened on the 1800 block of Chicago Drive.

Officials told 24 Hour News 8 that Consumers Energy was called to the scene to help restore power.

No one was injured in the crash, but the crash remains under investigation.