Governor Bill Walker has signed the following into law:

HB79—Makes efficiencies in Alaska’s workers’ compensation system that will reduce administrative costs; combats worker misclassification by establishing a clear statutory definition of “independent contractor”; and creates an interim legislative workers’ compensation working group tasked with reviewing the workers’ compensation system.

AO297—Extends the life of Alaska’s Mariculture Task Force, establishing it as an ongoing advisory panel to work with state, federal, tribal, industry, and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the Alaska Mariculture Development Plan released this year.

HB76—Expands the Mariculture Revolving Loan Fund to create new financing options for mariculture businesses.

HB354—Updates the protocol used by the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association to charge an assessment to its members.

HB56—Updates the state loan fund to account for increasing costs for permits, vessels, and equipment.

HB240—Regulates pharmacy benefit managers, which serve as the middle-men between local pharmacies and insurance companies. gov.alaska.gov

GCI wireless customers will now receive enhanced messages through the national Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, allowing them to be alerted of imminent threats to safety or life. WEA is a national program that was established by the FCC to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations. WEA alerts are generated by local, state, and federal agencies.

The alerts will display in a format similar to a text message and will appear directly on a device without the need to download or open any application. The alerts are free and will not impact voice, text, or data usage. gci.com

Airstrike Firefighters reached an agreement with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control to provide large airtanker fire suppression support services to their state and those it supports.

“Our nations’ capacity to respond to large fires is at an all-time low while demand continues to surge. The P-3 is an outstanding plane for wild fire suppression in the most challenging locations, and our teams are eager to put it back to work,” says Bill Douglass, president and CEO of Airstrike.

Airstrike is headquartered in Anchorage with flight operations out of Sacramento. The company has twenty-five employees refurbishing a fleet of seven P-3 firefighting airtankers for use on state and federal contracts. airstrikefirefighters.com

MTA launched Business Amplifier, a digital marketing product that delivers professional video for any budget. MTA built this product with small businesses that have limited access to high-level digital marketing in mind. mtasolutions.com

New restaurant Chicken Shack put down roots at 1443 West Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage and established its niche—serving updated Southern classics with a modern twist on American comfort food.

Chicken Shack serves baskets of fried chicken, grilled chicken, and honey-drizzled chicken and waffles, as well as chicken that is smoked, pulled, and Tennessee hot. Other menu items include pork chops, pulled pork, BLTs, wild boar and grass-fed beef burgers, salads made with local produce, house-made biscuits, and hand-cut fries, along with a selection of desserts. akchickenshack.com

Mountain View Urgent Care is now open and welcoming new patients. Located in the Mountain View neighborhood, this Anchorage health center offers care to those insured through Medicaid and Medicare as well as private health insurance; discount and affordable payment plans are also offered. mvucak.com

Lynden has enhanced its customer offerings in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam by adding less-than-container load (LCL) ocean service between Los Angeles and Guam and LCL barge service between Seattle and Honolulu via Aloha Marine Lines. With this added service, Lynden continues to offer a full menu of capabilities including EZ Commerce, multimodal shipping options, Dynamic Routing, time-specific deliveries, and warehousing. lynden.com

Baxter Senior Living broke ground on a new construction project at 4308 Baxter Road in September. The facility will feature views of the Chugach Range and Bicentennial Park, a rooftop deck and elevated walkway, one- or two-bedroom private apartments, and a multitude of onsite amenities including dining, a wine bar, gardens, a movie theater, and a gym. baxterseniorliving.com