James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO’s “The Sopranos” was the brilliant core of one of TV’s greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51.

In the wake of accusing him of domestic battery, the wife of the former director of CeaseFire Illinois filed for divorce this week, citing irreconcilable differences. Alison Hardiman filed her petition Tuesday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, nearly three weeks after her husband, Tio Hardiman, was arrested and jailed overnight on charges of beating her after an altercation at their Hillside home. “I am totally devastated,” Tio Hardiman, reached Wednesday evening, said, upon learning of the filing from a reporter. He has not yet been served. “I was unaware. I’m devastated. I’m hurt. I can’t lie about that,” …

They really must want their fill of Chick-fil-A. Roughly 80 people gathered outside the popular fast food chain’s new restaurant at State and Lake Wednesday hoping to win a free combo meal every week for a year as part of the company’s promotional grand opening giveaway. “You have to watch out for professional Chick-fil-A-ers,” Nathan Bordelon, of Lake View, said. Bordelon, 25, has previously attended other Chick-fil-A “First 100” events in the country. At one, he met a couple who lurked outside 70 new Chick-fil-As, hoping to be one of the first 100 people in line to get 52 coupons …

Folded and handwritten on a piece of lined notebook paper, it looked to Veronica Vasquez like a typical note a kid writes to a classmate. But the sheet of paper proved to be the first indication to Vasquez just how much it upset her 12-year-old daughter, Paula, that King Elementary School would soon close. The emotional note would describe how one child felt to be swept up in one of the nation’s largest mass school closings, starting Wednesday with King and 27 other Chicago Public Schools. Fighting tears, she, like many other children Wednesday, called her school a second home. Parents, teachers and children across the city shared the pain.

Drive the bridge on the Kennedy Expressway over Ashland Avenue, and you will be traveling the busiest “structurally deficient’’ bridge in the six-county area. The bridge is one of 73 in Chicago and 326 in the six-county area identified as being “structurally deficient,’’ based on a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of 2012 federal bridge data. The nation is littered with such bridges –­– structures in need of “significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement,’’ according to a recent Transportation for America study that urges dedicated federal money for bridge repair.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Council floor leader let the cat out of the plastic bag Wednesday: He has serious doubts about prohibiting Chicago retailers from putting their merchandise in plastic bags.

Hundreds of times every month, passengers with disabilities call for taxicabs in Chicago only to have them either arrive hours late or not show up at all.  The nightmare could be over, thanks to a new dispatch system advanced by a City Council committee Wednesday that takes full advantage of the GPS system in every cab.

Today marks the beginning of a change in the way we deliver news and information both in the newspaper and online. We are rolling out a new contemporary design in print that we believe will help you navigate the paper better while better connecting related information and content on our website. In fact, that enhanced integration with our digital content is now reflected on our front page. Here, you will find a much better news site, with easier navigation to get to the stories and features you want faster. We are delivering more content across multiple platforms so that you …