Radical

MEXICO CITY - Debate is intensifying over armed vigilante patrols that have sprung up in crime-plagued sections of rural Mexico, particularly in the state of Guerrero, where some patrols joined forces this week with a radical teachers union that has been wreaking havoc with massive protests, vandalism and violent confrontations with police. The two groups, on the surface, would appear to have little in common. The vigilante patrols, typically made up of masked campesinos , are among dozens that have emerged in the countryside in recent months, purporting to protect their communities from the depredations of the drug cartels.

Documentarian Shola Lynch, who previously profiled Shirley Chisholm's groundbreaking run for president, turns her lens on another significant African American female figure from the early '70s in "Free Angela and All Political Prisoners. " Applying her "historical vérité" style to one of the most publicized trials in one of the most combative and hopeful periods in U.S. (and California) annals, she has assembled a detailed oral history. At its center is a new and lengthy interview with Angela Davis.

The past is a puzzle that resurfaces in bits and pieces for Robert Redford in "The Company You Keep. " The political potboiler's producer, director and star still leans left, but in telling this fable about 1970s radicals grown older and wiser, Redford's gotten nostalgic. The movie marks Redford's first time back in front of the camera since 2007's "Lions for Lambs," his preachy take on the government's handling of the war in Afghanistan. No doubt the character of former radical Jim Grant, a role that calls for an equal share of heart, quiet heroics and politics, influenced his decision to act again.

When you see the revamped Dodger Stadium, you may wonder, at least at first, where that $100 million went. A nine-figure budget usually produces a major overhaul or architectural transformation. But the changes that the new owners of the team, Guggenheim Baseball Management, carried out at Chavez Ravine over the offseason are not especially dramatic, at least not visually. The most obvious changes fans will see at Monday's opening game against the Giants are to the scoreboards beyond the outfield, which are bigger and show high-definition images while retaining their old chevron shape.

LONDON -- The British government Wednesday lost another bid to deport a radical Muslim preacher to face trial in Jordan when a court of appeals rejected a request to reconsider an earlier court decision. After more than a decade of judgments and appeals in British and European courts, cleric Abu Qatada has won several legal battles against deportation. “This is not the end of the road, and the government remains determined to deport Abu Qatada,” said a Home Office spokesperson after the judgment.

Redesigning an icon like the Corvette presents a delicate balance of preservation and innovation. New 'Vettes arrive only about once a decade, each paying homage to a storied past while distinguishing itself as a new generation. The job of designing the seventh Corvette fell to Kirk Bennion. He was in Southern California at the Petersen Automotive Museum last week for the car's first appearance on the West Coast, and he sat down with The Times to discuss the car's radical design departure.

The last that Cassidy Vickers' street friends saw of him was about 10 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2011, outside the Donut Time shop on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. He was waving and saying he'd be back in a bit. A transgender prostitute whose legal name was Nathan, Cassidy had come down from the San Francisco Bay Area to work the Hollywood streets. That night, on Lexington Avenue, 10 blocks from the doughnut shop, Vickers was shot to death by a man on a bike. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier online version of this article contained a typographical error inserted during initial editing of the text, referring to Cassidy Vickers as "heshe.

SACRAMENTO - Imagine a lawmaker being allowed to read a proposed law before voting on it. For that matter - and this seems like a stretch - try to envision the public being offered an opportunity to express its view on a bill before legislators vote. Granted, this is a radical concept - at least during the final secretive, skulking days of a legislative session. We're talking usually late summer, although legislative sleight-of-hand can occur anytime, including the dead of winter.

Shortly before Lily Tomlin arrived on set to play an aging feminist in Paul Weitz's dramatic comedy "Admission," she had a flash of inspiration. What if she had a breastplate made to cover her upper torso, tattooed it and then appeared in the film shirtless while chopping wood? The act would perfectly symbolize '60s radical feminism. "It seemed like a fun idea, but it was a little more than anyone could handle," Tomlin said in an interview, offering a laugh. "So I had an arm tattoo of Bella [Abzug]

Downtown L.A.'s Grand Central Market is undergoing a major overhaul intended to catapult the landmark community marketplace into a new food-retail age. The nearly 100-year-old open-air market on Broadway near 3rd Street houses more than 40 food stalls, which will be updated to reflect a changing downtown and the next generation of vendors while staying true to its legacy, planners say. Owner Adele Yellin, president of the real estate development company...