Red-light cameras without the drama

By all accounts, the look on the police chief's face was priceless.

There stood Jane Castor in her crisp police uniform and customary poker face at a Tampa City Council meeting. Council members had each just spoken of their support for those traffic cameras that catch red-light-running scofflaws.

And why not? The chief said during the city's 2-year-old red-light camera program, both crashes and tickets were down at Tampa's diciest intersections, indicating drivers were mending their pedal-to-the-metal ways. All good.

So, naturally, the City Council then voted 4-3 to kill the same red-light cameras they just said positive things about. Had there been a cartoon bubble over the normally unflappable police chief's head, it would have said something like:

Wha...?

At the heart of last week's vote to shutter the city's successful red-light camera program were politics and a power struggle, a strong mayor versus a council determined to be heard. (And also not appreciative of being called showboats for it.) Which makes for interesting political theater, Tampa style, if not for the actual public safety issue at its core.

It started like this: Back when red-light cameras first won approval, three council members wanted the city's cut of the $158 ticket nearly $1.64 million last year to go specifically for transportation improvements instead of into the general fund.

Seems reasonable. Even if general revenue is already paying for traffic fixes, even if this earmarking would be largely symbolic, it could go a long way toward countering the oft-heard criticism that these cameras are for making money, not for making us safer.

So when red-light cameras came up for approval again last week, those three council members were joined by a fourth in the call to spend at least some of that money specifically on street safety, resulting in a 4-3 no-vote.

Probably it did not help that afterward Mayor Bob Buckhorn while vowing to work with the council to reach an agreement on this was quoted in a Channel 10 interview implying council members up for election may have been showboating and grandstanding. And, ouch.

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Red-light cameras without the drama

Let's discount the notion David Ortiz took less money for 'peace of mind'

By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Columnist

Hometown discount?

Is that what were calling $16 million these days?

David Ortizs annual soap opera revolving around his contract finally was resolved for 2014, as the Red Sox tacked another year onto the designated hitters deal that will pay him $16 million in 2015, and comes with a pair of club vesting options for 16 and 17, perhaps with the intent that the team wouldnt have to deal with this nonsense for at least a couple more years.

Ortiz could have insisted on the $20 million annual compensation he felt he warranted, the Globes Nick Cafardo wrote, but instead settled again for a hometown discount for the peace of mind that hes where he wants to be for the remainder of his career.

Thats some peace of mind.

While Miguel Cabrera (due to make $22 million in 2014) was the only offensive member of the $20 million club to surpass Ortiz in production last season (.309, 30 home runs, 103 RBI, .959 OPS), at 38 hell be the highest paid DH in Major League Baseball this season, only a half-million more than the final year of Adam Dunns deal with the Chicago White Sox. And hes now one of only three designated hitters on the books for next season. The Royals Billy Butler, who will make $8 million this season, has a $12.5 million team option for 2015. Adam Lind has a $7.5 million team option in Toronto, and the Indians Carlos Santana will make around $6 million.

Butler will be 29 in 2015, Lind 31, and Santana 29. Ortiz will be 39.

You want any of those names as the centerpiece of the Red Sox lineup over the incumbent DH? Probably just as much as youd prefer Dunn and his .219 batting average representing your biggest threat.

Nobody is arguing that a productive Ortiz isnt a boon for the Red Sox. But can we please not purport the ridiculous notion that Ortiz took a hometown discount"?

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Let's discount the notion David Ortiz took less money for 'peace of mind'

Officials: 'Red creek' in Floyd County no cause for alarm

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Several people were left scratching their heads Saturday afternoon, after a creek ran red outside McDowell in Floyd County.

Officials with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection say the McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corporation reported the incident around 2:30 Saturday afternoon.

They say vandals tampered with a plastic container, spilling about 10 gallons of potassium permanganate.

"This material is used for water treatment, and basically when it impacts water it does change the water color, and that's what people were seeing today," said Robert Francis, manager of the Environmental Response Branch of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.

Officials took samples to find out if concentrations of the material exceeded authorized limits.

They say the spill is no cause for alarm, and should not impact drinking water quality.

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Officials: 'Red creek' in Floyd County no cause for alarm

Black tomatoes known as 'Indigo Rose' are the latest colour food craze

Dark tomatoes 'healthier' than red variety, according to plant scientists 'Indigo Rose' starts green as normal but ripens into jet black Already popular in America, going on sale for first time this spring

By Ben Spencer

PUBLISHED: 10:32 EST, 23 March 2014 | UPDATED: 12:11 EST, 23 March 2014

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Unusual: The jet-black variety is said to be healthier than its red cousin as it has more anti-oxidants

We're already growing purple carrots, yellow courgettes and white asparagus.

But black tomatoes are the must-have crop for greenhouses this season, growers say.

Not only will the dark toms turn heads at the allotment society, they are also healthier than normal red varieties, according to plant scientists.

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Black tomatoes known as 'Indigo Rose' are the latest colour food craze

Sangre Chronicle > Red River > Red River receives state funding for projects at ambulance building

RED RIVER With the signing of the Capital Outlay funding bill, Gov. Susana Martinez approved $75,000 for improvements to the town ambulance building.

Red River Fire Chief Ron Burnham, who heads the towns Emergency Medical Services Department, said the improvements to the building will help ensure ambulances and the old fire department area arent significantly damaged.

Were replacing the bay doors at our old station on the back of Town Hall, Burnham said, adding the doors were built in the early 1970s and are now too small for the new emergency vehicle fleet. They had also started to wear out. We put in a request to remodel those bay doors to allow for current sizes.

When the town of Red River built its newest fire station, located at 100 East High St., it was only large enough to store the fire trucks. Most of the ambulances have been stationed at Town Hall in the middle of Main Street.

The new framework of the ambulance doors will be 144 square feet on each of the doors, Burnham said. Additionally, with the current frames the ambulances would break off side mirrors or run into other obstacles with the narrow doorframe, and damages to the building also were inevitable. The mechanisms to the doors are more than 40 years old and dont work efficiently.

If we didnt (apply for funding) the remodel, we would have to do this at a considerable cost, he said.

Red River has three advanced-life-support ambulances in its fleet and responds to calls in Red River as well as surrounding areas that dispatch for assistance, if it can be provided. Burnham said in the last month the call volume has slowed down considerably.

(The call volume) has been fairly steady, he said. Theres always a little up and down annually, particularly with the tourist seasons because EMS calls are pretty proportional. The more people we get, the busier we are. We typically run between 650 and 750 calls per year.

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MENS ICE HOCKEY | Red Will Take on Union in ECAC Semifinals Showdown

By EMILY BERMAN

Less than five days after junior forward Brian Ferlins overtime goal sent the mens ice hockey team pouring over its bench and onto the ice to celebrate its game three ECAC Hockey quarterfinals victory over Clarkson in front of a raucous Lynah crowd, the fourth-seeded Red heads to Lake Placid for a Friday afternoon semifinals showdown with two-time defending league champion Union.

Union, who entered the tournament as the top seed, swept Dartmouth in its quarterfinals matchup to extend its current unbeaten streak to 11. The Dutchmen recently jumped to second in the major national polls and previously grabbed the ECAC regular season title with an 18-3-1 league record.

Theyre great defensively theyve got great stick position on the ice surface, they make it difficult to make plays on [and] theyre very committed as a group of players to the defensive side of the puck, head coach Mike Schafer 86 said of the Dutchmen. Everyone will go and point and say theyre one of the best offensive teams in the country, but they spring that a lot from the defensive side of it.

Union is the only team to beat Cornell twice in the regular season, taking the Red, 3-0, in the first matchup and then beating the team, 4-1, at Lynah. While both Schafer and several players have cited the first game against Union as one of the low points of the season the Red mustered only 11 shots on goal throughout the entire game the second game was a physical, hard-fought battle with a more even balance of scoring chances.

We had a tough game against [Union] here at home, we thought we played pretty solid and ended up losing the hockey game, but we were happy with our game plan and we were happy with how we played, Schafer said.

Junior defenseman Jake Macdonald shrugged off the notion that the Red needed to make any drastic changes to the teams game plan to defeat the Dutchmen.

Honestly, I just think we have to play the same way we did the last time we played them, he said. I thought that we outplayed them if we can continue to chip pucks into their zone and get pressure on their defense and just have an all-around solid game, I think well be in good shape.

Two of Unions biggest threats stem from what Schafer called the one-two punch of defensemen senior Mat Bodie and junior Shayne Gostisbehere, who both figure prominently in the Dutchmens attack with 29 and 28 points, respectively. Gostisbehere was recently named one of 10 Hobey Baker award finalists.

You have to be a little more careful with some of the talented D-men they have back there jumping into the play, junior forward Joel Lowry said. You dont want to give them too much time or space, you want to limit them and not let them jump up because they can make plays.

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MENS ICE HOCKEY | Red Will Take on Union in ECAC Semifinals Showdown

Christmas Island residents told to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Gillian

Christmas Island is on red alert as a category one tropical cyclone heads towards it.

Tropical Cyclone Gillian is about 140 kilometres north-east of Christmas Island and moving west at 20 kilometres per hour.

Gale force winds are expected to develop this morning and may continue into Sunday, as the cyclone passes north of the island and then heads west.

Linda Paterson from the Bureau of Meteorology says it may intensify into a category two system.

"Conditions though are good for it to intensify so we do expect it to reach a category two system just west of the island, but we don't expect it to intensify into a category three system until it's further away from the island, so they should be at least spared that," she said.

"There is a risk of destructive wind gusts during Saturday on the island, if it doesn't move as fast as we've forecast or it intensifies a bit quicker than we expect, so residents should be prepared that it may reach a category two system while it's still quite close to the island."

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Christmas Island residents told to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Gillian

Scene & Heard

It's not easy being red

If you've ever felt like a redheaded stepchild literally there is now a movie for you. A screening of the documentary "Being Ginger" is being presented by the League of Extraordinary Red Heads at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, at The Arts Center of the Capital Region, 265 River St., Troy. The movie is about the search for acceptance, even if you only make up about two percent of the world's population.

Filmmaker Scott Harris will be on hand to present his movie about being a redhead looking for love as a carrot-topped American living in Edinburgh, Scotland, "the redhead capital of the world." Even there, though, he finds the attitudes about redheads less than welcoming. In the film, one woman says to him, "You're like an orangutan. You're not just ginger, you're like the joke ginger," while another advises he stick to dating red-haired women to "keep the genetics together ... just keep ginger on ginger and not on other people."

Admission is $10. After the screening, Harris will answer questions from the audience, followed by a free after-party with Harris and The League of Extraordinary Red Heads at Lucas Confectionery wine bar, located at 12 Second St., for those 21 and older. For more information, call 274-2723. To reach the Arts Center, call 273-0552 or visit http://www.artscenteronline.org/

Art entries needed soon

The deadline is Monday, March 31, to submit entries for exhibits at the Saratoga Arts Center Gallery, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee and the selected works will be exhibited during four shows throughout the year.

Emerging and established artists working in the media of painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, video, sculpture, ceramics, fiber and glass are encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit http://saratoga-arts.org/exhibitions/gallery/opportunities Download a submission form at http://saratoga-arts.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/call%20for%20submissions%202016.pdf

Hymns for modern age

Matthew Smith, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter who writes brand new music to centuries-old hymn texts, will be performing at 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, at the First Presbyterian Church in Schenectady. He is a founding member of the Indelible Grace community, whose work is used in churches around the world.

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Scene & Heard

Scarlett Johansson Shows Off Tiny Baby Bump In Skintight Red Carpet Dress: Photos

Red is her color! Pregnant Scarlett Johansson hid her barely-there baby bump while attending the UK premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Thursday, March 20.

PHOTOS: Scarlett's love life

Johansson, 29, stunned in a tight-fitting dark cranberry dress for the red carpet at Westfield London. In a statuesque, slightly peculiar pose, the soon-to-be mom kept her hands on her hips for several photographs. She matched the look with a bold red lip and wore a simple silver necklace.

PHOTOS: Scarlett's hottest moments

Credit: Splash News Online

Johansson stepped out for her first red carpet appearance since the baby news in a gorgeous black-and-white lace Giorgio Armani Prive corset top and knee-length skirt at the Captain America Hollywood premiere on March 13. Four days later, she turned heads once again in a bright red Michael Kors pants suit for its Paris showing.

PHOTOS: Celebrity pregnancy confessions

Us confirmed on March 3 that the Her actress and French journalist Romain Dauriac are expecting their first child. The couple went public with their relationship in November 2012, and became engaged back in September 2013.

Tell Us: What do you think about Scarlett Johansson's red carpet look? Tweet with @UsWeekly using #stylebyUs!

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Scarlett Johansson Shows Off Tiny Baby Bump In Skintight Red Carpet Dress: Photos

Heads of Four Qatar Charitable Societies Travel to Jordan NextFriday

MENAFN - Qatar News Agency - 19/03/2014

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Heads of the Qatar Red Crescent, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF), the Organization of Islamic Call, and Qatar Charity will lead a delegation visiting Jordan from 21st to 24th of March. During the visit, the delegation will officially announce the extension of the Fund for the Treatment of Wounded Syrians in Jordanian Hospitals. The representatives of the four Qatari societies will discuss ways of strengthening coordination among parties to the Fund and following up the implementation of the project. They have also a scheduled visit on their agenda to check on the wounded at the Jordanian hospitals. The 4 day program begins with a tour at Zaatari refugee camp to inspect the conditions of its residents. The delegation will also pay a visit to the medical service contractors - Jordanian hospitals that provides surgical operations covered by the Fund for the Treatment of Wounded Syrians. Following the tour, the delegation will visit the office of QRC Mission in Jordan for a briefing on psychological support program designed for refugees. The visiting delegation is planning to hold a press conference during which more details on extending the timeframe of the Fund and its total budget will be revealed. The objectives of such step are to bolster efforts, mobilize support, and provide necessary health care to confront the increasing numbers of the wounded refugees fleeing Syria due to the escalating violence. The first phase of the fund began its services in November 1st, 2013, at a cost of QAR 4 mln treating 273 wounded Syrians up to date, 29% were in critical condition, 45% suffered mild cases, and 26% sustained eye injuries. The four charitable societies had delegated the responsibility of implementation to the Qatar Red Crescent based on its expertise in the provision of medical services that conform to the highest of international standards. QRC has entered into bilateral agreements with a number of hospitals and specialized medical centers in Jordan in order to treat the wounded Syrians, including the Islamic Hospital, Dar Al-Salaam Hospital, Shami Center for Eye Treatment and the Dhaleel Hospital for the treatment of kidney patients. It also signed a MoU with the UNHCR to provide medical treatment for Syrian refugees at Zaatari camp suffering from renal failure. The Fund was created in a bid to strengthen efforts in the medical field in light of the growing numbers of wounded Syrians and the insufficiency of the existing services which led to the death of large numbers of people. The poor medical services have had a major impact on the Syrian people, forcing many of the wounded to flee Syria in difficult, lengthy and dangerous ways, amid reports on the rise of refugee numbers escaping to Jordan due to the violence that has erupted nearly 2.5 years ago. A similar QRC project to treat the wounded began in Jordan in 2012 at a cost of 500,000 followed by a later collaboration with Qatar Charity with a budget of 1,700,000. This program had a significant impact on medical treatment and alleviating the suffering of the wounded Syrians who sustained life-threatening injuries in the spine, head and blood vessels

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Heads of Four Qatar Charitable Societies Travel to Jordan NextFriday

The Red Road Project: Trading Substances for Substance (in News)

One youth-led initiative in Nova Scotia is getting Mikmak youth off drugs and booze, through culture.

Red Road participants: Back row: Charlie DeWilde, Cody Crowe, Storm Christmas, Aaron Prosper. Dakota Francis, Ssvvy Simon, Keigan Sack, EJ Sock, Sutherland Greer Julian, Samson Milliea. Front: Brittany Prosper, Alyssa Abram, Anoogwa Pictou, Natalia Ramirez, Cruzer Meuse, Graham Marshall. Caroline Sylvester, Haley Bernard, Kyle Isaac, Shanika MacEachern, Jody Paul (pink shirt), Darian Bernard, and Maureen Nicholas (very last). Photo courtesy of Red Road Project.

[Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports on successful youth-focused projects resulting from collaboration between Indigenous communities and philanthropic organizations. Leading Together is itself a collaboration of Journalists for Human Rights, Tyee Solutions Society, Wawatay Native Communications Society, and the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation which commissioned this journalism. In the coming weeks look for more Leading Together stories from across Canada running Tuesdays and Wednesdays in The Tyee.]

On a bright midsummer afternoon, Haley Bernard surveyed the Pictou Landing First Nation with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the rural Mi'kmaq community is like a close-knit family. On the other, it's plagued by drug and alcohol abuse.

The need: Helping Indigenous youth in Mi'kmaq communities turn away from drug and alcohol abuse.

The project: The Red Road Project introduces Indigenous youth to a healthy lifestyle through cultural activities, convened by local youth leaders.

What worked: Adapting cultural traditions to activities, such as organizing the cultural camp for youth leaders; working through youth leaders across social media; engaging outside youth-engagement initiatives such as LOT; bringing on charismatic youth leadership for the project in the second year.

Challenges: Building genuine band and community ownership of activities; getting youth to show up to activities in new initiatives.

Lessons learned: Work through credible community contacts; adapt cultural practices to context in authentic ways.

She wants to see change -- a generation of culturally strong, educated youth who are drug and alcohol free. Bernard hopes the Red Road Project will lead the way.

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The Red Road Project: Trading Substances for Substance (in News)

Red Raiders open homestand against North Texas

Provided by Texas Tech Athletics

Texas Tech returns to the friendly confines of Rocky Johnson Field on Wednesday evening when the Red Raiders host North Texas in a 6 p.m. doubleheader. Tech enters this week coming off a seven-game road trip to the West Coast where the Red Raiders finished 4-3 overall to improve to 22-9 on the season. This will be the third-straight season where the Red Raiders and Mean Green (19-8) have met on the softball diamond as the two teams have split neutral site contests the past two years. This will be North Texas' first trip to Lubbock since the 2009 season.

ON THE HORIZON

The Red Raiders will have little time off before returning to Rocky Johnson Field Friday evening to start a three-game series against Texas State. Texas Tech will host the Bobcats at 7 p.m. Friday before 4 p.m. and 12 p.m. first pitches on Saturday and Sunday to close the series. The three-game series is the final non-conference action for the Red Raiders until opening Big 12 Conference play against No. 12 Baylor on March 28-30 at Rocky Johnson Field.

INSIDE THE NORTH TEXAS SERIES

Wednesday night's opener against the Mean Green will mark the eighth all-time meeting between Texas Tech and North Texas as the two teams will be meeting for the third consecutive season. North Texas owns a 4-3 advantage in the series with wins in four of the last five meetings, including a 5-3 victory on Feb. 22 last year in San Marcos. The Mean Green will be making their first visit to Lubbock since the 2009 season when North Texas handed the Red Raiders a 6-1 loss at Rocky Johnson Field. The last two meetings between the two schools have come at neutral sites as Tech claimed a 10-0 victory on Feb. 24, 2012, in an eight-inning contest at the Texas Shootout in Waco.

RED RAIDERS LOOK TO CONTINUE SUCCESS AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES

Texas Tech has traditionally found success in home non-conference games under head coach Shanon Hays as the Red Raiders are 68-6 in such contests over his four-plus seasons. Hays boasts an impressive .919 winning percentage when facing non-conference opponents at Rocky Johnson Field. Tech heads into this week riding an eight-game home winning streak that is its longest since winning 19-straight early in the 2011 season.

EMANUEL NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sydni Emanuel was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon after hitting .565 last weekend (13-for-23) at the Titans Classic and San Diego State Classic. She is just the second Red Raider freshman to ever garner a conference weekly award, joining Amanda Renfro, who was honored as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice in 1998. Emanuel finished with two or more hits in four of six games last weekend, including a 4-for-4 performance in the Titans Classic finale against host Cal State Fullerton last Friday. The Missouri City, Texas native totaled a .583 on-base percentage and frustrated opponents on the base paths from there, stealing nine bases to bump her season total to a conference-leading 28 already this season. Emanuel stole at least one base in all six games, including two in three-consecutive games against UNLV, Fullerton and Long Beach State. She ended the weekend ranked as the Big 12 leader for hits, runs scored, stolen bases and triples. She is also second in the league with a .447 batting average and third with 62 total bases.

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Red Raiders open homestand against North Texas

Abraham On Toucher & Rich: Will Sizemore Be Red Sox Opening Day Center Fielder?

Sports Fan Insider

Keep up with your favorite teams and athletes with daily updates.

BOSTON (CBS) When Grady Sizemore signed with the Red Sox in January, he wasnt sure what the future held after missing over two years of baseball.

But Sizemore has impressed beyond what anyone could have imagined down in Fort Myers, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with a double and three runs scored in 21 games. On Monday he not only had three hits against the St. Louis Cardinals, but made a pair of beautiful catches in center field, crashing into the wall for one and sprawling out for another.

With the three-time All-Star turning heads and Jackie Bradley Jr. struggling (6-for-33 in 11 games), Sizemore is making things tough on manager John Farrell.

Could Sizemore be Bostons opening day center fielder? The Boston Globes Peter Abraham joined98.5 The Sports HubsToucher and Rich on Tuesday, and said while that is still to be determined, Sizemore is making a strong case.

Its only seven games and only 21 at-bats but he has been beyond what anyone has expected, even himself, said Abraham. The first few days of camp he was talking about hoping to find a way to help the team. Yesterday, hesaid his goal now is to try to be on the opening day roster.

Things have changed for him and things have changed for the Red Sox too, said Abraham. Farrell was talking about at the start of spring training that (Sizemore) might have to start on the DL, and now hes in the mix if this continues.

After missing all of 2012 and 20013, and playing just 77 games in 2011, the main concern with Sizemore remains his durability throughout a 162-game season.

The biggest concern is how many games he can play in a row. When they start the season theyll have 13 games in 14 days, and theyre all in the cold, noted Abraham. Hes only played back-to-back days once so far in spring training, so you dont really know if he can be counted on to be an everyday player.

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Abraham On Toucher & Rich: Will Sizemore Be Red Sox Opening Day Center Fielder?

Scarlett Johansson Wows While Pregnant in Bright Red Pants Suit: Picture

She doesn't need a baby bump to turn heads! Scarlett Johansson stunned on the red carpet at the Paris premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in a vibrant cherry-colored Michael Kors pants suit on Monday, March 17.

PHOTOS: Scarlett's love life

Johansson paired the already eye-catching look with a bold purple smokey eye and a chic, side-swept up-do.

News broke on March 3 that the New York-born beauty, 29, was expecting her first child with fianc Romain Dauriac later this year.

PHOTOS: Scarlett's hottest moments

Since then, Johansson hit the Los Angeles premiere of the highly-anticipated sequel in a sexy lace-covered two skirt and top and was spotted at LAX over the weekend, covering up in an oversized peacoat.

PHOTOS: Celeb pregnancy confessions

But Johansson certainly isn't hiding in these statement red carpet looks, which don't attempt to disguise her curves or growing bump. And with the April 4 premiere date of the superhero film just around the corner, the proud future mom will have plenty of red carpets to rock in the next few weeks.

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Scarlett Johansson Wows While Pregnant in Bright Red Pants Suit: Picture