You power public media. Keep local reporting strong.Donate todayTuesday, August 25, 2026Good morning! Catherine Sweeney

I was at a pool party this weekend, and two of the biggest topics in Middle Tennessee came up: Flock cameras and data centers.

There was a spread on how plugged in everyone was on the news. Some people knew about the Flock Off event in Knoxville; some didn’t know what Flock cameras were. Data centers have been a hot topic for longer, plus there was that petition against the proposed data center near the zoo that got half a million signatures. Everyone knew what those were.

A friend who used to be a police officer noted that license plate readers – lower tech ones – have been around for decades. A few people said they weren’t sold on all the concerns around data centers in neighborhoods. 

The same question arose about each of these topics: Why are people showing out now? 

There are so many things that draw ire on social media, but fewe draw rampant vandalism. NPR reported last week that people in 36 states have damaged Flock cameras. Adam Heimerman, a Tennessee congressional candidate, is facing felony charges for shooting a Flock camera in Blount County with a shotgun.

Metro Council had to implement a ticket system for people wanting to speak at its hearings because hundreds of people were turning out to oppose data centers. That way, older folks and those with limited mobility didn’t have to stand in line for hours.

Here’s my thinking…

WHAT TO KNOW

Automotive license plate readers have been around for decades, but Flock-branded cameras have been controversial in recent years. Law enforcement agencies can tap into a nationwide network.These things are new enough that we’re actively writing the rules.

During the Flock Off event in Knoxville last week, State Rep. Jason Zachary said he was writing legislation on Flock cameras. He decided to after talking with local law enforcement agencies and local governments.

“What I have discovered is there are so many agencies that have no tight policy and procedures. Some have no policy and procedures,” he said. “So what are they doing with that data, other than the loose parameters we have set as a state, where it has, ‘It can’t be stored longer than 90 days?’ What is being done with that data?”

Metro Councilmember Rollin Horton said something similar back in May, when he introduced the legislation to create a zoning framework for data centers.

“I looked at what regulations and protections that we have here in Nashville to govern large and hyperscale data centers, and the answer was zero.”

Many political issues can feel hopeless, like the status quo is too entrenched to bother challenging it.

These might be two areas where that’s not true.

I’m wondering — what new rules are you hoping to see around data centers or Flock cameras? Reply to this email and let us know your thoughts.

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast 
with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

How did one Tennessee find turn out to be a hoax? The story of the Bat Creek Stone. Plus the local news for August 25, 2026, and Johnny Cash’s archives.

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MORE TO KNOW

• The Tennessee Valley Authority may be tripling down on fossil fuel infrastructure. WPLN Environmental Reporter Caroline Eggers writes thats driven in part by data centers. The nation’s largest public utility is moving forward with a long-term plan focused on building more gas plants. The TVA Board, the utility’s only regulator, with a majority of members appointed by President Donald Trump and trained by TVA staff, approved a draft “Integrated Resource Plan” on Thursday. The utility is planning to grow its energy capacity by between 30% and 85% by 2040 to meet forecasted demand driven primarily by data centers. Last week, Caroline reported the utility is considering a higher rate for data centers. Those users made up 10% of TVA’s entire electric load last year, and usage is expected to keep growing.
   
• After several days of hearings, the Tennessee Supreme Court’s investigator issued a report saying death row inmate Christa Pike failed to convince him the state’s execution process would violate her constitutional rights. Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30. She would be the first Tennessee woman put to death in more than 200 years. Her legal team argues that she’s at risk of a torturous death for several reasons hinging on health conditions. She has post-traumatic stress disorder from a lifetime of sexual trauma. She also has a blood-clotting disorder that affects her circulatory system, meaning that it could be difficult to place IVs into her arms. The report says Pike’s legal team failed to prove she was at substantial risk of pain, serious illness or needless suffering. Pike’s attorneys have a week to file any objections, and the state supreme court gets the final say.
   
• Nashville city leaders are touting the opening of 200 new affordable housing units in East Nashville called Park Point East. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency says the project is part of the Cayce Transformation, a plan to revitalize the Cayce Place neighborhood. The agency says Park Point East includes 203 affordable units, with 115 set aside for current Cayce Place residents. The work is a continuation of the sprawling proposal documented in the first season of WPLN’s series The Promise.

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

Nashville artists are typically trying not to let their personal politics get them in trouble with their fans and the power brokers of the music business. Then there are a few who are actively trying to stir something up.  Listen to an hour with one of the more outspoken artists making music in Music City. Margo Price joins us in a live interview to talk about her latest album, “Days of Unrest,” why she’s resurrecting so many American protest anthems, and how her own approach to success has evolved since her breakout album in 2016, “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.”

Catch This is Nashville with host Blake Farmer on YouTube,
or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 
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