Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, is encouraging Guardsmen and Reservists to nominate their civilian employers for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award before the January 21 deadline. The Freedom Award is the nation’s highest recognition for employers supporting Guard and Reserve members. Employers of every size and industry are eligible to receive the honor. Guard and Reserve members, or a family member acting on their behalf, may nominate their employers at www.FreedomAward.mil.

"With today's evolving missions of the Reserve Component, as we adapt to the current national security policy, America's employers continue to provide steadfast support to the more than one million men and women serving in the National Guard and Reserve at home and abroad.

ALEXANDER CITY, AL (WSFA) - Nearly half of the work force at the Russell Athletic #9 Mill in Alex City will soon be searching for a new job. The company announced it will be starting layoffs between now and March 5, 2013.

According to Alexander City Mayor Charles Shaw, the Russell Athletic mill which makes special order t-shirts and athletic clothing will be laying off approximately 190 people between now and March 5. Currently there are 390 people employed at the Alexander City mill.

Russell Brands, LLC is a Fruit of the Loom company. The original "Russell Manufacturing Company" was started in Alexander City by Benjamin Russell in 1902.

Montgomery, Ala.— More than 225 dishes at restaurants across the state are featured in a new photo book titled Alabama Food that goes on sale Dec. 3.

The colorful 128-page book was produced in cooperation with the Alabama Tourism Department and covers the food scene in the state by geographic region, starting in North Alabama and ending with the Gulf Coast. It’s based on the popular “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” brochure and emphasizes unique and original Alabama restaurants, the growth of the farm-to- table movement, and native Alabama foods.

A section profiles food products manufactured in the state. More than two dozen Alabama photographers contributed images for the book. Karim Shamsi-Basha’s photo of Hot and Hot Fish Club’s iconic Tomato Salad is on the book’s cover.