Fueling the speculation are published reports the e-commerce giant is in late-stage discussions with a small number of communities. Those reports come more than a year after Amazon said it sought to establish a second headquarters campus in North America and create up to 50,000 high-paying jobs, setting off a fierce competition among cities and states. Chicago was among 238 cities and regions that submitted proposals for the project, and it was one of 20 contenders announced when the list was narrowed in January.