🌱 Record Fentanyl Seizure In Valley + Bike Berm Honors Hans

Happy Friday, people of Phoenix! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locally today.

First, today's weather:

Hazy sunshine. High: 63 Low: 41.

Here are the four top stories today in Phoenix:

1. The Phoenix branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Scottsdale Police Department and the Arizona Attorney General's office made a record seizure of 1.7 million fentanyl pills in one investigation. The DEA warns that criminal networks in Mexico are manufacturing pills made to look like prescription drugs like Percocet or Xanax that actually just contain fentanyl or are fentanyl-laced. (Phoenix Patch)
2. A Phoenix Safeway employee was called into work Thursday for an unexpected reason: To receive a gift from a customer. The customer decided to gift the employee a brand-new bike after a short conversation the two had a few months ago. The employee rides his bike to work each day, with an 8-mile round-trip. (FOX 10 News Phoenix)
3. The Mayo Clinic on Wednesday bought 288 acres around its north Phoenix campus where it plans to expand. The $139 purchase was made through a public auction. The clinic's plans include an expansion of its existing campus, along with a biotechnology corridor that it hopes to share with collaborators in the same field. (KTAR.com)
4. The city of Phoenix has nixed plans to widen a downtown street and decided instead to create protected bicycle lanes a few months after beloved downtown fixture Hans Hughes was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle. Plans include constructing bicycle lanes on Fillmore Street between Central Avenue and Seventh Street with a berm protecting bicyclists from drivers. (Phoenix New Times)

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Today in Phoenix:

• An Uneven Landscape: Inequities in Transportation, Community Planning and Land Management, Arizona Humanities, 1242 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. (3 p.m.)
• Langley Piano Studio Recitals — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (5 p.m.)
• Taiko Extravaganza: Flower of Life — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Arizona Humane Society is waiving adoption fees for all of its pets until Monday in hopes of getting them into loving homes ahead of the holidays. (Facebook)
• The Phoenix Public Library invites you to drop in the Arizona Room for a look at historical Native American displays. Arizona Room is open to the public and located on the second floor of Burton Barr Central Library. (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— Caitlin Sievers

About me: I'm a passionate writer and photographer who worked as a reporter and editor for various publications in the Midwest before landing in Phoenix. I have seven roommates. Four of them are cats. Contact me at caitlin.sievers@patch.com with story ideas and feedback.