Groundhog day
Winter wonderland returns for another weekend
Pictured here is Madison Jordan catching snowflakes in Lovell Hills. (Photo submitted by Alyssa Jordan)
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Pictured here is Madison Jordan catching snowflakes in Lovell Hills. (Photo submitted by Alyssa Jordan)
Reports of mail theft rise in Farragut
“I will never mail another check,” said one Farragut resident, who asked to remain anonymous and was a victim of mail fraud. She reported the theft of her check on Jan. 13.
“I mailed a check at the drive-up mailbox at the Farragut Post Office,” she said. “About a week later, the person to whom I had written the check asked me if I mailed it. I said yes.
“After checking, I noticed the check was cashed within a day but not to the person I was sending it to,” the resident said. “I looked at the bank account online and saw someone had taken the name off and put a different name on it. Everything else on the check was the same.
“This had never happened to me before,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, no, I’m out that money.’ I called the bank. There’s a whole protocol you have to go through. After multiple calls, this is what I found out:
“First, I had to file a police report,” the resident said. “Then I had to get a copy of that report in person and take it to the bank and fill out an affidavit.”
Once the affidavit was filled out, she had to close the account on which the check was written, then open a new account.
“It took a week or so to get all the auto pays and other transactions moved to the new account,” the resident said. “But I did it, and the bank refunded the money. I was surprised.
Board debates law enforcement needs amid growth
During a workshop retreat of the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen held Friday, Jan. 23, at Turkey Creek Medical Center, Town Administrator David Smoak proposed paying for two Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies to provide additional service to the town.
With Farragut’s growth, Smoak said the Town is experiencing increased traffic and speeding. He also cited recent incident reports showing a rise in mail thefts that have led to check fraud.
A while back, “the mayor and I met with Bernie Lyon, trying to get additional services for the town,” Smoak said, referring to the former Knox County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy who has since died. The discussions focused on adding patrol officers within Farragut, he said.
Smoak also noted concerns about the loss of the sheriff’s office precinct location on Parkside Drive, which was moved to Cedar Bluff.
“At the same time, we’ve had a captain in place in the Farragut precinct for 20 years,” he said. “There have been different captains during that time. Now, that captain [position] has been taken out, and there’s no real liaison for Farragut.
“So we have no direct contact with the Knox County Sheriff's Office going forward,” Smoak said. He added that upcoming elections for sheriff could be important for determining future cooperation.
New class enters hall
On Feb. 7, Farragut High School will host the 14th annual Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner in the FHS Commons with festivities beginning at 5 p.m.
Tickets are $40 each (also available at the door) or $300 for a table of eight. For further information, contact David.Moore@knoxschools.org or visit the FHS website to book a table.
This year’s athlete inductees are Katie Green Pinkston (soccer, track), Anna Miller (swimming), Sara Yeager Stokes (track, cross country), Bailey Williams (softball), Drew Burnette (football, soccer, baseball), Harrison Eldridge (baseball), Cole Strange (football) and James Thomas (football).
Former Farragut coach Eddie Courtney will be the coach inductee, and Michelle Brossett and Richard Huff will receive the Service Awards.
Growth, traffic top 2026 Farragut aldermen concerns
As the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen moves into 2026, members say they face a range of challenges as they work toward individual and shared goals.
During a workshop retreat Friday, Jan. 23, at Turkey Creek Medical Center, board members outlined the issues the town expects to confront in the coming year.
For Mayor Ron Williams, a key challenge is balancing progress with the founders’ original vision for Farragut. He cited the development of the Town Center as an example.
“A lot of times when you look at what is relevant at that moment, things change slightly, and it most certainly did with the Town Center,” Williams said.
He said the original vision called for vertical development, with businesses on the ground floor and residences above. However, he said that approach did not work at the time for a suburban setting.
“Instead, we got a good developer who went horizontal,” Williams said. “So I think our vision, going forward, with (state) elected officials is going to be really important.”
Williams also pointed to staff training as a challenge, noting that many department heads and employees are new to the town.
“It’s great — we’ve got people from all over the country,” he said, adding that cross-training staff will be important as the town plans for future needs.
