WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Wilson County leaders are looking to introduce guardrails on data centers during a meeting Monday night.

The commissioner that introduced the idea said they are looking to mirror an ordinance that passed about an hour north in Warren County, Kentucky.  

“We have thought about it significantly, and that’s why today is about protection,” said Warren County Judge/Executive Doug Gorman during a Warren Fiscal Court meeting on June 11.

Where to put data centers has become a global conservation, including here in Middle Tennessee.

“Over the past several weeks, I’ve watched Metro Council deal with the potential of a large data center next to the Nashville Zoo. I want to avoid being in that situation in Wilson County,” District 18 Commissioner Lauren Breeze said during a commissioner meeting last week.

Breeze said there are currently no requirements when and if a data center wants to move to town. So, she is working on a zoning amendment for data centers that mirror regulations that were crafted just an hour north.

“Bowling Green and Warren County, Kentucky, will have the gold standard of ordinances for data centers in America,” Gorman said. 

Planning leaders in Warren County and Bowling Green spent eight months drafting an ordinance that they hope will protect their community from potential data center developments.  

“Everyone and their brother are calling and asking what this ordinance says,” Gorman added.

The ordinance has strict standards on location, design, utility protections and even decommissioning.

For example, the data centers would need to be set back 1,500 feet from homes, schools, and hospitals, as well as look discrete—like an office building. It’s language Wilson County is looking to mirror.  

“In my neck of the woods, we have a lot of warehouse and really big warehouses that honestly could be turned into one,” District 11 Commissioner John Gentry said. 

While some communities, like Cedar Hill, passed moratoriums, which put a pause on data centers, the Wilson County attorney said a moratorium might not hold up in court. However, in Warren County, Kentucky, leaders said their regulations will legally protect them.

“What we are doing is making sure to tighten the rules up enough so when they want to look at us and have to jump through seventeen thousand hoops to get done what they want done, chances are they will move on to somebody else,” another leaders expressed during the Warren County meeting.

The Warren County zoning ordinance will go through a second reading.   

Meanwhile, the Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee will meet at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 22. Data center regulations, as well as a moratorium, will be discussed during the meeting.

• This year marks America’s 250th birthday, with celebrations planned across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
• Events in the Louisville area include concerts, fun runs, festivals, and multiple fireworks displays.
• Many celebrations are free and family-friendly, featuring live music, food trucks, and children’s activities.
• Major fireworks shows will take place over the Ohio River at Waterfront Park and at various other locations on July 3 and 4.

Nothing says summer like celebrating the Fourth of July with grilled food, parades, concerts, and, of course, fireworks.

And this year is extra special as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. July Fourth, also known as Independence Day, is the federal holiday set aside to commemorate the Continental Congress formally adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Here is a list of fireworks shows and other Independence Day events taking place in the Louisville area, and across Kentucky, between now and July 4.

Fourth of July events in Louisville, Kentucky

June 26-28

WHAT: Join the Louisville Chorus for its annual tribute to America and our troops. Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a spirited afternoon of music, community, and patriotic pride.

WHERE: 

• June 26: St. Mary of the Annunciation, 415 E. 8th St., New Albany, Ind.
• June 27: St. Matthews Baptist Church, 3515 Grandview Ave.
• June 28: Crestwood United Methodist, 7214 Kavanaugh Road

WHEN: June 26, 7 p.m.; June 27 and 28, 3 p.m.

COST: Free, donations accepted

MORE INFORMATION: louisvillechorus.org.

You may like: Your complete guide to America’s 250th birthday in Louisville

July 2

WHAT: Louisville Orchestra, under the direction of Teddy Abrams, will present “Play America,” a mix of classical and contemporary pieces. From “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Leonard Bernstein’s spirited “Candide Overture,” alongside playful surprises including a heavy metal inspired take on “Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King,” closes with iconic film music from John Williams’ “Star Wars.” The festivities kick off with a variety of food trucks and the Family Field with balloon creations, bounce houses, face painting and crafts. Sponsored by the Jasteka Cultural Center.

WHERE: America Place at River Ridge, 101 Logistics Ave, Jeffersonville, Indiana

WHEN: July 2, 6-10 p.m. Food trucks and activities, 6-8:30 p.m.; concert 8:30-10 p.m.

COST: Free, registration is requested

MORE INFORMATION: Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. louisvilleorchestra.org/events/free-community-events.

July 3

WHAT: Fun run for ages 9 and younger. Distance: 49-yards for ages 6 and younger; 84-yards for ages 7-9.

WHERE: Independence Bank, 3902 Shelbyville Road

WHEN: July 3, 4 p.m.

COST: $10

MORE INFORMATION: rivercityraces.com/upcoming-events-1/2026

WHAT: Concert featuring music by Sight Unseen. Fireworks after the show. Food truck and adult beverages.

WHERE: Springs Park Pavilion, 110 S. Second St., La Grange, Kentucky

WHEN: July 3, 6-10 p.m. Fireworks, 9:30 p.m.

COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION: Bring lawn chairs. lagrangemainstreet.org.

WHAT: Soar, splash, and kick off the Fourth of July weekend with a boom. Celebrate Independence Day as America turns 250 at Kentucky Kingdom with live bluegrass and patriotic music, rides, swimming and water rides at Hurricane Bay, specialty foods and fireworks. Music by Mountain Highway and Tooth & Nail String Band.

WHERE: 937 Phillips Lane

WHEN: July 3-4, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hurricane Bay: July 3-4, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

COST: Admission starts at $42.99. Parking $15

MORE INFORMATION: kentuckykingdom.com.

You may like: There’s a summer concert in Louisville for every budget in 2026

July 4

WHAT: Celebrate America’s 250th birthday at Locust Grove. Beginning at 5 a.m., gather in silence around a sacred fire in the meadow near the Pavilion. At sunrise (6:32 a.m.), begin a multicultural observance of Indigenous song and dance, blessings to the four winds, and other interfaith celebrations. A free, community breakfast catered by Caked up Ent. Catering will follow (8-10 a.m.). Presented by presented by the America250KY Committee and supported by Locust Grove’s Civics Pillar sponsor, Independence Bank.

WHERE: 561 Blankenbaker Lane

WHEN: July 4, 5-10 a.m.

COST: Admission is free

MORE INFORMATION: 502-897-9845; locustgrove.org.

WHAT: Part of the River City Races Run the 502 series. Awards, door prizes, race goodie bag with packet pickup, race photo and food. Awards and door prize drawings will take place in the parking lot following the race. Proceeds benefit St. Matthews Baptist Church’s annual “Love 40207” campaign. Presented by Independence Bank.

WHERE: Begins and ends at St. Matthews Baptist Church, 3515 Grandview Ave.

WHEN: July 4, 8 a.m.

COST: Registration is $45 through July 4 and includes a choice of unisex short-sleeved tech shirt or a women’s tech tank, free race photo, goodie bag, post-race food, awards and door prizes.; virtual 5k, $50 includes shipping of shirt, bib and finisher medal after July Fourth.

On this day (June 21) in 1991, Timothy Tyler Childers was born in Lawrence County, Kentucky. Coal and country music reigned supreme in the region near the West Virginia border, with artists like Dwight Yoakum, Loretta Lynn, and Chris Stapleton all hailing from nearby. Today, as he celebrates his 35th birthday, Tyler Childers has earned his place among those names.

How Appalachia Made Tyler Childers

He was born with clubfoot, a congenital disorder that caused both of his feet to twist out of shape. It required surgery when Childers was just 18 months old, followed by a second procedure after he turned five.

Once spending an entire year in the wheelchair, the “In Your Love” crooner had to relearn how to walk.

He needed regular checkups at Shriners Children’s hospital in Lexington until he turned 18, and spent much of his recovery time reading.

Much like Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and Tom Waits before him, Childers fell under the spell of writer Jack Kerouac, and those influences are still palpable in his music today.

“Kerouac was my first real permission slip to be a spiritual wanderer and say it’s okay to do that, and that it doesn’t automatically mean you are on your way to the wailing and gnashing of teeth,” he told GQ last year.

Aside from reading, music was another escape. The Americana Music Award winner sang in church on Sundays, learned guitar from his grandfather, and began writing songs at age 13.

Graduating high school in 2009, Childers tried college before dropping out to work odd jobs and fund his music career.

The Winding Path to Stardom

Tyler Childers released his debut album, Bottles and Bibles, in 2011. However, commercial success was still nearly a decade away.

That came with his 2017 album Purgatory, produced by fellow Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson (who also played guitar and sang backing vocals). Purgatory debuted at number 17 on the Billboard country albums chart and earned a Platinum certification—all without the aid of country radio.

[ Tyler Childers Postpones Tour Dates for the Best Reason Possible]

Building off that momentum, Childers released Country Squire two years later, earning a Grammy nomination for the single “All Your’n”. Then came Long Violent History (2020); Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? (2022); Rustin’ in the Rain (2023); and Snipe Hunter (2025).

In 2023, he scored his first top 10 hit with “In Your Love”.

Featured image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic