MASON, OH (FOX19) - Mason’s annual leaf pick-up program begins Monday, October 8.

Through Friday, December 14, the Mason Public Works Department will pick up leaves at your curb. Bright orange and black temporary signs will be posted at the entrance to your neighborhood at least two days prior to leaf collection.

Crews will stay on schedule as much as possible, but weather, equipment, parking on the street, and debris mixed with the leaves all affect the crew’s ability to collect leaves. If your leaves are at the curb before December 14, they will be removed by the city.

Please rake leaves as close to the curb as possible and cover them with some type of tarp. Do not rake the leaves onto the sidewalk or into the street or storm sewers. Wet leaves are slippery and are dangerous to pedestrians, bicycle riders, and cars. Leaves clogging the storm sewers can cause flooding during heavy rains.

HARRISON, OH (FOX19) – The 2012 Pondarama Water Garden Tour for the east side and Northern Kentucky will happen this Saturday and Sunday.

The self-guided tour runs from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and includes ten places in 7 counties.

The first home on the tour is one in Boone County with a bog garden, which helps purify the water, linked by a 100 foot stream to a pond, with an outdoor kitchen next to the pond, a hot tub built into the landscaping, and a state-of-the-art chicken coop.  They will serve some food to visitors.  The next stop, in Dry Ridge, lets you watch fish from air chairs suspended from a tree. Subsequent stops are in Taylor Mill, Covington at a florist and garden center, Cold Spring, and Fort Thomas.  On the Ohio side, the tour has stops in New Richmond, Batavia, Anderson Township (with a fish cave), and Morrow.

MASON, OH (FOX19) - Where should you shop once inside the grocery store?  The Mason Community Center is offering to help you find the correct food items to keep you healthy.

You can take a personalized grocery store walk-thru with a registered dietitian on Wednesday, March 14.  The dietician will take a small group through the store to look at labels, pick healthy options, and talk about smart food purchases. During this 90-minute program, you will also learn about MyPlate, the nutrition concept from the USDA that has replaced the Food Pyramid, and be served a lunch to show your balanced plate.

Two sessions will be held at the Biggs store in Mason. You can choose to meet the dietician at either 11 a.m. or noon in the main entrance of the store.