There once was a time when having a tattoo would make a person an outsider. Now in this day and age, it seems like everyone and their mother has a tattoo somewhere on their body.

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study for the South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway will be released today and available for review and comment over the next 90 days.

The real estate market is improving dramatically according to real estate professionals, and those looking to get involved in the market can learn all about their options at the Arizona Homebuyers Expo this Saturday, April 13.

On Thursday, April 4 the new Phoenix Premium Outlets will open with 90 stores ready to offer discounts of 25 to 65 percent off retail prices.

Six years ago, Janine Skinner was a mother of three who was reentering the workforce. Some of the return was financial: the aforementioned kids were just a few years away from college. While serving as a youth event chaperone, she was introduced to Minnesota-based Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). That was the beginning of a six-year whirlwind.

"Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

Gabby Walton, a sixth-grader at Kyrene Altadeña Middle School, won the all-around gymnast award at the Phoenix Classic Rock gymnastics meet recently at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The new Phoenix Premium Outlets is set to open April 4. Representatives from center merchants and management will be interviewing for all positions at a Job Fair on Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. They will be seeking to fill many of the more than 800 jobs created by the new center.

More ordinary buyers are finally getting into the Phoenix-area housing market as home prices continue to rise and investors find fewer bargains to snap up. That’s according to a new report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, which reveals the numbers for Maricopa and Pinal counties, as of November.

Stan Way, a Latter-day Saint from Jasper, Ala., had just finished dinner out with some Mormon missionaries when he noticed a car slowing as it approached.

Josh Glider, assistant director of the Kyrene Community Education and Outreach Services Department, and Marisa Vega, program coordinator for Brisas Elementary Kyrene Kids Club, were among the finalists for the 2012 After School Awards of Excellence.

Josh Glider, assistant director of the Kyrene Community Education and Outreach Services Department, and Marisa Vega, program coordinator for Brisas Elementary Kyrene Kids Club, were among the finalists for the 2012 After School Awards of Excellence.

Nine after-school programs and educators from Phoenix, Lake Havasu City, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Morristown and Tempe have been named finalists in three categories for 2012 Afterschool Awards of Excellence. The awards are presented by the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence (AzCASE).

The holiday season is an exciting time for all, especially for children. But for some children, this holiday season will be spent as a patient at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

So, women voters are being courted via the political conventions, as they should be. If you’re interested, note which party believes women can be suckered through fear and freebees. Expect massive efforts towards manipulation.

The Phoenix Convention Center’s Volunteer Program is recruiting new members. Individuals with a friendly disposition and a spirit of service who are interested in serving as ushers at the facility’s two theatrical venues, Orpheum Theater and Symphony Hall are invited to apply.

After an appearance on local television to promote their spring workshops, seven princesses from Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre (ACT) were invited to make a guest appearance at this year’s Phoenix Comicon, May 24-27 at the Phoenix Convention Center downtown.

The Phoenix Convention Center is one of the 10 top convention centers in the nation, according to Business Review USA. Phoenix ranks No. 7, ahead of Anaheim, San Francisco and San Diego.

The first Arizona Homebuyers Expo will take place Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center, 2nd and Adams streets, west building, third floor, west ballroom 301A. Homebuyers can learn about the HUD Neighborhood Stabilization Program and how it can help put them in a home today.

The American Kidney Fund is providing free health screenings in the Phoenix area. Kidney disease is damaging the health of as many as 31 million Americans. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of kidney disease. Free health screenings will be April 21–22 at the Phoenix Convention Center, 95 S. 3rd St. Screenings are open to anyone 18 and older. Find out more at KidneyFund.org.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is hosting a free Home Preservation Workshop in Phoenix for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Wells Fargo Financial, and Wells Fargo Home Equity customers facing financial hardships. Wells Fargo has invited more than 4,500 mortgage customers in the Phoenix area to the free workshop on Wednesday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Phoenix Convention Center, West Hall 1, 100 North 3rd St. in Phoenix. Parking and attendance are free.

Mayor Greg Stanton said the state of the city of Phoenix is strong and getting stronger during his inaugural State of the City Address at the Phoenix Convention Center on Wednesday.