CogniLocal Your Community, More Completely.
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CogniLocal

Waverly / Howard Lake

Your Community, More Completely.
Thursday, October 1, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
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HLWW volleyball vs. Central tonight at 7 p.m.Two-hour late start Friday, October 2Carnitas cooking class Saturday, October 3Howard Lake police applications first reviewed October 15
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Today in Waverly / Howard Lake

HLWW volleyball plays Central, Norwood Young America, at 7 p.m. tonight after beating Kimball in four sets.
Nuvera now lists both fiber construction areas in Waverly and Howard Lake as ready for fiber.
HLWW schools have a two-hour late start Friday, October 2.
Howard Lake's Senior Group meets Tuesday, October 6, and Tuesday, October 20, at the library.
Wright County marks National 4-H Week October 4 to 10; a Howard Lake 4-H member presented the proclamation.
The Wright County Food Shelf in Waverly is open until 4 p.m. today.

NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Central Daylight Time.

Public Safety & Courts

ONGOINGHoward Lake

City seeks multiple full-time police officers

Howard Lake is accepting applications for multiple full-time police officer positions to address current staffing needs and prepare for a possible expansion of the department's service area. Minnesota POST-licensed or license-eligible applicants may apply. The stated pay range is $39.48 to $53.70 per hour. Applications remain open until the positions are filled, with the first review scheduled for October 15 and initial interviews anticipated in the first week of November.

Schools & Youth

ONGOINGBoth

School-board work session has passed, but minutes are not yet posted

The HLWW School Board held a work session scheduled for September 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the HLWW High School Media Center, according to the district calendar and BoardBook listing. As of October 1, the public BoardBook archive shows only an agenda for that meeting, with no minutes or audio, so no board action can be confirmed from the official record.

The district calendar lists the board's next regular meeting for Monday, October 12, at 6:30 p.m.

  • Latest status: Meeting listing and agenda posted; minutes or another official account of action not yet available
  • Unresolved: What was discussed, what action was taken and whether any votes occurred
  • Event date: September 28, 2026
  • Next regular meeting: October 12, 2026
  • Sources: District Calendar; BoardBook public archive
ONGOING

Two-hour late start is scheduled for Friday, October 2

HLWW's district calendar lists a two-hour planned late start on Friday, October 2, blocked from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Families should account for the later school start when making Friday morning arrangements.

The same calendar lists varsity football against Litchfield on Friday, October 2, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Communities: Both. Source publication date: Not displayed. Date: Friday, October 2.

NEWBoth

Walk to School Day and conferences are on HLWW's October calendar

HLWW's district calendar lists Walk to School Day for Humphrey and Winsted elementary schools on Wednesday, October 7.

Middle school parent-teacher conferences and high school conferences are both listed for Monday, October 12, from 4 to 7 p.m. The Club's Choice fundraiser kicks off Tuesday, October 6.

Business & Commercial Development

UPDATE

Nuvera lists both fiber construction areas in Waverly and Howard Lake as ready

Nuvera's September 29 construction updates list area 02 in both Waverly and Howard Lake as ready for fiber. Area 04 in each community was already listed as ready in earlier updates, so both construction areas on each city's page now carry that status.

Nuvera says new customers who signed up for fiber will be contacted for installation in the upcoming weeks, and current customers will be contacted to migrate to fiber.

For local businesses, expanded fiber availability can affect internet capacity, remote work, payment systems, cloud services and other digital operations.

Latest construction updates cited: September 29, 2026.

Community & Culture

UPDATE

Howard Lake Senior Group lists October 6 and October 20 gatherings at the library

The Howard Lake Senior Group is on the city calendar for Tuesday, October 6, and Tuesday, October 20, from 1 to 3 p.m., in the Community Room at Howard Lake Library, 817 8th Avenue. These replace the October 1 and 15 dates reported September 27, which the calendar does not show.

Howard Lake Library is open Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m. For library access and hours, call 320-543-2020. City Hall can be reached at 320-543-3670.

ONGOINGHoward Lake

National 4-H Week begins Sunday in Wright County

The Wright County Board of Commissioners proclaimed October 4 to 10 as National 4-H Week in Wright County. The proclamation was presented to the board by Sophie Salmela, a member of the Handy Dandy 4-H Club of Howard Lake and president of the Wright County 4-H Federation Board.

Salmela told the board that Wright County's 4-H program has 21 clubs, more than 700 members and more than 180 adult volunteers, and that 4-H groups use the first full week in October to spotlight their programs and recruit new members.

Arts, Culture & Events

ONGOING

HLWW offers a Saturday, October 3 household cooking class on carnitas and tortillas

HLWW Community Education lists a virtual class with Tess Georgakopoulos on Saturday, October 3, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Participants prepare carnitas, flour and corn tortillas, and pickled red onions in their own kitchens.

The listed fee is $39 per household. An electric multicooker and a nonstick pan are listed equipment needs. The district page says online registration is over; contact Community Education at 320-543-4670 to ask whether any places remain.

Original posting date not stated.

ONGOING

Applications are listed for HLWW’s November 21 arts and crafts expo

HLWW Community Education lists its Creative Arts & Crafts Expo for Saturday, November 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Middle School and Activity Center, 8700 County Road 6 SW, south of Howard Lake.

Exhibitors must be involved in making what they sell. Applications are processed in the order received, subject to available space; a standard 12-by-12-foot booth is listed at $69. The district's registration page provides exhibitor requirements, options and contact information.

Original posting date not stated.

AI in Your Community

CogniLocal tracks where artificial intelligence and related automated systems are already entering the institutions that serve this community, who is deploying them, what they are being used for and what changes next.

ONGOINGWaverly

Wright County Sheriff wearables bring AI-powered law-enforcement technology to Waverly

Waverly contracts with the Wright County Sheriff's Office for police services. Oracle says that office is deploying its AI-powered Public Safety Wearable Computer System, making the technology directly relevant to the agency that provides Waverly's policing.

Oracle said the officer-worn devices automatically record interactions and were planned to add live video streaming to the command center. At the October 2025 announcement, Oracle said 70% of Wright County's 176 sworn personnel were already using the system, with full deployment planned.

The October 2025 announcement does not establish completion of later dispatch and records phases or identify which AI features are currently enabled. It also does not establish use by Howard Lake Police.

ONGOINGWaverly / Wright County

Wright County's automated plate-reader network is already in active use

The Wright County Sheriff’s Office operates fixed and mobile Flock automated license-plate readers around the county. The sheriff says the system can alert deputies to stolen or wanted vehicles and can be searched after an incident to identify vehicles connected with criminal activity.

On September 3, 2026, the sheriff’s office said Flock cameras helped deputies locate a person of interest after a fatal stabbing in Monticello. The agency said the person was taken into custody roughly 10 miles from another residence investigators feared he was headed toward.

ONGOINGWright County

AI-generated fake citations reached a Wright County court filing

The Minnesota Tax Court found that a Wright County filing contained five nonexistent case citations generated by artificial intelligence. The court concluded that including the false citations violated Rule 11.02(b) of the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure.

The court declined to impose monetary sanctions but referred the matter involving the assistant county attorney to the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. The incident shows AI reaching local government not as a future proposal, but through actual county legal work.

ONGOINGWright County

AI-driven data-center demand has already changed Wright County land-use policy

Wright County imposed an emergency moratorium on new data-center applications in county townships in May 2026 while officials study zoning standards and infrastructure impacts.

The county ordinance explicitly identifies artificial intelligence, cloud services and other digital infrastructure as drivers of demand for physical data centers. The county later formed a workgroup to examine environmental, fiscal, infrastructure and land-use effects.

BACKGROUNDHoward Lake / Waverly / Winsted

HLWW’s summer 2024 catalog listed an adult AI class

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Community Education listed a practical ChatGPT class for adults, titled “AI (AI) Made So Practical and Easy!”, in its summer 2024 catalog. The catalog documents a past offering; it does not establish a current class or registration opportunity.

The class description focused on practical use of ChatGPT for searching, research, writing and everyday tasks.

Sports

ONGOING

Lakers beat Kimball in four sets; Central is next tonight

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted defeated Kimball 3-1 on Tuesday, September 29, according to MaxPreps' game recap. Set scores were 25-13, 14-25, 25-23 and 25-23, and MaxPreps put HLWW's record at 5-5.

HLWW's school calendar lists the next varsity volleyball match against Central, Norwood Young America, for 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, October 1.

Communities: Both, through HLWW schools. Recap published: September 29, 2026, at 8:09 p.m. Game date: September 29.

Community & Services

ONGOINGWaverly

Wright County Food Shelf in Waverly is open today until 4 p.m.

The WCCA Wright County Food Shelf & Thrift Shop at 411 Elm Avenue in Waverly serves all of Wright County. WCCA lists hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and closed on Fridays.

WCCA also says it is looking for volunteers to help expand its programs for Wright County families.

Still Developing

The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.

OPEN

Waverly Public Works superintendent search

The city continues to advertise the superintendent position at $43.98 to $48.55 per hour.

Still unresolved: The hiring outcome.

Next checkpoint: October 11 application deadline, followed by a hiring announcement.

Current bulletin lists October 11 closing date

Source: Current job bulletin
AWAITING RECORDS

Howard Lake Sept. 21 City Council actions

The City Council met September 21 at 7 p.m. at Howard Lake City Hall.

Still unresolved: Final actions from that meeting when minutes or another official meeting record become public.

Next checkpoint: Approved minutes or another official meeting record.

Council meeting September 21 Status confirmed 2026-09-21.

Source: Howard Lake meeting calendar
AWAITING RECORDS

HLWW school-board work session

The district's meeting portal lists the September 28 work-session agenda. A meeting record establishing discussion and any action remains the next checkpoint..

Still unresolved: Discussion, actions and votes.

Next checkpoint: BoardBook minutes or audio.

Source: District meeting records
OPEN

Waverly water

The city continues to post its lead-exceedance notice and the letter sent to residents on August 28. The next substantive checkpoint is an official follow-up explaining sampling results and corrective work..

Still unresolved: Subsequent sampling, corrective action and confirmation of whether the exceedance has been resolved.

Next checkpoint: An official water-quality or corrective-action update.

Source: Waverly water notice and resident letter
OPEN

Howard Lake residency-restriction ordinance

Ordinance 26-02 creates a residency-restriction section in the city code. The city held its separate community-notification briefing September 10.

Still unresolved: Full codified text and implementation details.

Next checkpoint: The updated city code or an implementation notice.

Ordinance summary published September 25 Status confirmed 2026-09-25.

Sources: Herald Journal ordinance notice; Howard Lake briefing
OPEN

Howard Lake refuse and recycling transition

A September 9 agenda packet contemplated assigning existing refuse and recycling agreements to Waste Management of Minnesota. The transaction was then expected around September 14, with existing terms continuing through the contract period.

Still unresolved: Confirmation of the completed transition and any resident-facing rate or service changes.

Next checkpoint: Approved minutes, a contract notice or resident-service information.

Contract assignment appeared in September 9 materials Status confirmed 2026-09-09.

Source: September contract summary
OPEN

Waverly EDA Revolving Loan Fund application

The EDA discussed adding the Business Subsidy Policy, clarifying collateral language and making the application fillable online. The existing application appeared to date from 2018.

Still unresolved: Final adoption of the application and policy changes. The subject is not confirmed on the September 28 agenda.

Next checkpoint: A revised application or recorded EDA action.

Revisions remained unfinished April 27 Status confirmed 2026-04-27.

Source: April 27 meeting account
AWAITING RECORDS

September 28 Waverly EDA meeting

The city calendar lists the next EDA meeting for Monday, October 26, at 6 p.m.

Still unresolved: Whether the September 28 meeting was held, canceled or moved, and what action was taken.

Next checkpoint: Minutes, a revised calendar notice or the October 26 EDA meeting.

The scheduled EDA meeting time passed; no meeting record was posted by September 29. Status confirmed 2026-09-29.

Source: Waverly calendar

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