AZ Briefing: Amazon's data center arm buys land in Laveen 'tech corridor'; Obama campaigns for Harris in Tucson; Pets of the week

Good morning, Arizona. Here's what our reporters are working on and what you should know about what's happening across the state before you start your day.

Amazon Data Services — the retail giant's data center arm — recently made a $277 million land purchase in Laveen, in an area long-marketed by the city as a technology corridor .

Find out why Amazon chose that location and how business is developing in that sector.

Other big stories

➤ Big Fluffy and Mini Fluffy , Zeke and Ziggy and Fluffy Girl are some of the pets that are up for adoption at Valley shelters . Here's more about them.

➤ Former President Barack Obama is hitting the Arizona campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris in the final weeks of the presidential race . Here's your guide to his visit.

➤ WinCo Foods , a grocery store known for its low prices , has opened a location in the West Valley after residents asked for one . Here's what to know .

➤ Cancer has struck the unlikely friendship between Phoenix Valley residents Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton. The two became a Thanksgiving staple after an accidental text from the grandmother to the then-teenager went viral in 2016.

➤ It takes hundreds of thousands of voter signatures to get a citizen initiative on the ballot. Proposition 134 would require every one of Arizona's 30 legislative districts to provide a certain percentage of those signatures. What to know .

➤ Today, you can expect clouds and sunshine with a couple of showers with a high near 76 degrees. Expect it to be mainly clear at night with a low near 59 degrees. Get the full forecast here .

Arizona's scariest haunted hotels: Do you dare stay?

From the Copper Queen to the Jerome Grand to the Monte Vista , here are the most frightful haunted hotels in Arizona to lay your head. If you dare.

If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber .

We'd love your feedback about the AZ Briefing. Email us at karen.kurtz@arizonarepublic.com .

Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

• On this day in 1775: Phillis Wheatley, the country’s first African American poet to publish a book, was freed from slavery. Wheatley was born in Senegal on the West African coast and sold as a slave at age 7 to the Wheatley family in Boston.
• In 1898: American troops fighting in the Spanish-American War raised the American flag in Puerto Rico, marking the official transfer of power over the former Spanish colony from Spain to the U.S.
• 1922 The British Broadcasting Company was founded, becoming the world’s first national broadcaster. The BBC now reaches millions of people around the world through television, radio, and online services.
• In 1931: Gangster Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion, leading to an 11-year prison sentence partly served in the infamous Alcatraz prison. It was a key moment in the battle against organized crime during Prohibition.
• In 1972: The Clean Water Act was signed into law following public outcry over dirty rivers, including the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, which caught fire in 1969 because of industrial pollution.
• In 1976: The funeral of Mafia boss Carlo Gambino was held in New York. Called “the boss of bosses,” Gambino was one of the country’s most powerful figures in organized crime. He died in his sleep of natural causes at the age of 74.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Amazon's data center arm buys land in Laveen 'tech corridor'; Obama campaigns for Harris in Tucson; Pets of the week