With the Supreme Court of the United States scheduled to hear arguments in McDonald v. Chicago (the case of the City of Chicago's handgun ban) next week, Mayor Daley is making the rounds in Washington, D.C. to garner more support for the ban. Daley appeared at the National Press Club along with a few other civic leaders from around the nation who support such local bans to keep communities safe. Gun rights advocates insist the ban violates Second Amendment rights. A similar ban in D.C. was overturned in 2008. Said Mayor Daley, "In this day and age when we think the right to bear arms in all of our communities that means any type of weapon. I don't think our founding fathers believed that these type of weapons would be on the street and to me every jurisdiction have a right to talk about the health and safety of their communities." Daley was joined by Chicago firefighter Annette Nance-Holt, and her husband Chicago Police Officer Ronald Holt, parents of Blair Holt, the teen shot and killed on board a CTA bus in 2007. The teen who killed Holt was sentenced to 100 years in prison last summer while an accomplice received a 10-year sentence. more ›

Michael "Mario" Pace, 18, the teen found guilty of shooting and killing teen Blair Holt on board a CTA bus in May 2007, has been sentenced to 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery. Kevin Jones, who gave Pace the gun used in the shooting, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role. [Sun-Times] more ›

The teen accused of shooting and killing teen Blair Holt on-board a CTA bus in May 2007 has pleaded guilty to the shooting. Michael Pace, 17, will serve between 45 years and life for the murder as well as an additional sentence of 6 to 30 years for aggravated battery. Kevin Jones, considered Pace's accomplice, pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, earning him a 10 year sentence. Four others on the bus were injured in the shooting. Pace will be sentenced July 20. [Tribune] more ›

Kiyanna Salters, 17, was killed in a shooting on a No. 71 bus Sunday night. The incident happened around 10 p.m. as the bus approached the intersection of Cottage Grove and 71st Street. A man on the bus got into an argument with another passenger before exiting the bus. Shortly after exiting the bus, the man opened fire into the bus before fleeing the scene. Kiyanna was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after 10:30 p.m. She was a student at Julian High School, the same school that Blair Holt, the 16-year-old shot onboard a CTA bus in May 2007, attended. Police still are not sure whether or not Kiyanna was the intended target. more ›

A judge threw out Kevin Jones's confession in the case of Blair Holt's murder. According to the ruling, the state failed to demonstrate that Jones understood his Miranda rights. [S-T] more ›