News
Farragut's jeweler returns to his lifelong passion
October 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Rick Terry holds a secret he has no problem sharing, and it starts with his hands.
The same fingers that file, cut and polish jewelry have, for more than five decades, steered handlebars and pressed accelerators on dirt bike courses across the country.
“If I ever was to get a tattoo, this hand would say, ‘Vice,’” Terry said of his left hand, which holds each piece of jewelry he touches. “And this one, the right one, is the tool. One holds, and one does the work.”
Terry’s appreciation for that craft began in his 20s as he returned from Tennessee to his native Louisiana for an apprenticeship that taught the method behind the magic at his Farragut store.
But his first love — with racing and all the adrenaline his young body could handle — began years earlier in his hometown of Kentwood.
With a population just more than 2,000 today, the Louisiana town near the Mississippi border is known for the artesian well supplying drinking water for New Orleans.
But in the late 1960s and early 1970s, another concept breathed life into the region: dirt-bike racing.
“I played a little pee-wee football when I was young, but motocross was coming on strong,” Terry said.
And for the son of an insurance salesman who did mechanical work on the side, that cultural push was all the 13-year-old Terry needed.
Once his parents relented, Terry hopped on a green 1972 Yamaha — an exact replica of which sits in his barn today.
Read More
October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Hundreds decked out in cocktail attire to attend Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce’s Charity Gala: High Stakes & Fine Spirits, which took place in The Venue at Lenoir City Thursday evening, Oct. 1.
“I want to welcome you to one of our longest standing event and fundraiser, our gala, now in our 39th year,” Farragut president/CEO Julie Blaylock said.
She later estimated the crowd between 300 and 325.
Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres catered by Classy Caterer, casino game tables, networking, the event’s signature silent auction, a bourbon and wine pull and dancing.
“Based on what I heard Thursday during the event, this reimagined version of our annual gala was a BIG success,” Blaylock said Monday. “Multiple people mentioned that they loved the music, the DJ, the change in food and they definitely loved the casino games.”
At the same time, the event raised money for The Dream Connection, which makes children’s dreams
come true, and FWKCC programs.
“We are still matching receipts and will need this week to finalize figures for the donation to The Dream Connection." However, “as for the total gross revenue, we were at over $40,000 in sponsorships and tickets before the event night,” she said. “I anticipate we will gross over $50,000 easily.”
Presented by Rocky Top HVAC as High Roller, its general manager Gerald Allison, a Chamber ambassador, broke out in song to describe Rocky Top’s services.
On a more serious note, Allison related his personal connection with The Dream Connection, the non-profit organization benefitting from the gala. His oldest daughter, Brooklyn, now 26, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 6 months old.
Read More
October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen will discuss the Town Center District traffic overview during a workshop, which will take place at 5 p.m, an hour before the Board’s regular meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8, in Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive.
According to its website, the Board will review and discuss upcoming infrastructure adjustments.
“The current focus aligns heavily with the Town’s [fiscal year] 2027 Capital Investment Program, which allows 73 percent of its budget directly toward transportation and infrastructure projects,” the site stated.
Traffic and development contexts surrounding the Town Center district include:
Read More
October 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Every spring, the Farragut baseball players sprint onto John Heatherly Field to represent a historic program that is known throughout the state of Tennessee.
After all, such notoriety comes naturally with 15 state titles.
But on Wednesday, Sept. 30, several of those same state champions and their classmates cheered on students who got a taste of that glory for themselves.
From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. during the school’s second block, Farragut senior athletes, Leadership 3 students and peer tutors watched as 30 of the school’s special-needs students took the field as part of the second annual “Friends on the Field” program.
The event is an extension of the school’s “Anchors for Hope” basketball event, where the FHS basketball teams cheer on special-needs students at Farragut in a smaller version of the Tennessee-affiliated “Hoops for Hope” event that takes place each August.
“We took the idea from Hoops for Hope and started Anchors for Hope, so this will be the third year of that,” FHS leadership teacher Abbey Ellis said. “But they wanted to do something other than basketball, too, and they started this.”
Read More
October 7, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
On Nov. 3, Farragut and other Knox County voters will have two choices for the Congressional District 2, U.S. House of Representatives, seat: Republican incumbent nominee Tim Burchett of Knoxville and Democratic nominee Michaela Barnett of Knox County.
Other candidates are Independent candidates Bruce Fine and Adam Heimerman.
In the Primary election, both Burchett and Barnett advanced to the General Election with 100 percent of the votes.
Burchett, formerly a businessman, has been in office since Jan. 3, 2019. He served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1994 to 1998 and Tennessee Senate from 1998 to 2010. He was Knox County mayor from 2010 to 2018.
Serving on a number of committees during his terms, within the last year, he served on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Committee on Foreign Affairs.
“I’m proud of my work as chairman of the DOGE subcommittee, and I’m proud to have passed my ‘No Tax Dollars to Terrorists’ Bill after uncovering that the U.S. sends upward of $40 million a week to the Taliban,” Burchett said. “I will continue to fight for the Senate to pick up the bill and pass it so it can become law.”
Now, he reflected, “There’s a lot of fight left to fight in Washington.
“I’m focused on delivering for the people of TN-02 through constituent services and continuing to bring more transparency and efficiency to the federal government,” Burchett said about running for re-election.
Barnett said she running because she is ready to call out politicians who aren’t working to make our lives better.
Read More
