News
August 26, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Ideas for Farragut’s future were scrawled on sticky notes and scale-model maps Monday, Aug. 24.
And town residents delivered plenty of opinions about what lies ahead.
The afternoon began in a classroom at the Farragut Community Center, where an update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, or CLUP, was presented to the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission.
From there, the event moved to a larger room, where public input was gathered for the CLUP as well as development of the 70-acre property near McFee Road and Boyd Station Road.
The CLUP process follows a smaller update last year for the mixed-use town center, though Town Administrator David Smoak noted the importance of such updates "every 15 or 20 years."
Representatives from TSW, the Atlanta-based architectural firm that previously handled the mixed-use town center update, were on hand to give presentations and answer questions about the projects.
TSW’s Adam Williamson and Beverly Bell kicked off the CLUP classroom portion, discussing a plan intended to guide Farragut through 2045.
Along the way, it will address land use, population growth, housing, economic development, quality of life, transportation, infrastructure and natural resources.
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August 26, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Dolly Parton, a country music icon, renowned philanthropist and beloved East Tennessean, died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the age of 80.
Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced the news for the family on Parton’s social media accounts.
“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment,” Seaver said in the clip, “but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honor that is mixed with pride and absolute sadness.
“But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
A native of Sevierville, Parton grew up in poverty as a child yet skyrocketed to international fame. She wrote timeless musical hits such as “Jolene” and “9 to 5” and appeared in films like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias.
Parton’s debut album was released in 1967, commencing a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Referred to as the “Queen of Country,” Parton became one of the most honored female performers in history, selling more than 100 million records in her career.
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August 26, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Since Tuesday, Aug. 18, new details have emerged regarding a Farragut Primary School incident that has led to an internal investigation by Knox County Schools.
Last Tuesday, two children left the school without supervision or permission.
Later that day, Knox County Schools released a statement:
“We can confirm that two students did leave campus without permission. Both students are safe, and school administration has been in contact with their families.
“Knox County Schools takes student supervision seriously and we have already opened an internal investigation and will take any action deemed necessary based on the results of that investigation.”
On Monday, Aug. 24, Knox County Schools Chief Communications Officer Carly Harrington confirmed the investigation is still ongoing.
Also, she verified information we received from a concerned parent detailing the status of the teacher involved in the situation.
“We can confirm that the investigation is ongoing and that one staff member is currently on leave with pay,” Harrington said in an email to the farragutpress. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we cannot provide any additional details at this time.”
Per that same concerned parent, the two children involved saw a maintenance worker push open a playground gate that opens from the inside.
The children used that same gate to walk to the nearby library, located a five-minute walk away, as their classmates returned from recess.
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August 26, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Andover subdivision resident Gillian Lindsey continues to seek accountability from the Town regarding drainage and construction issues involving a neighboring property.
She approached the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission during the citizen comments portion of its Thursday, Aug. 20, meeting and asked what is being done regarding the property adjacent to hers.
In earlier interviews, Herbert and Gillian Lindsey said they repeatedly questioned the Town’s codes department about neighboring construction they said caused drainage issues on their property.
They said changes to the grading and drainage of the neighboring property increased runoff onto their land, leaving them facing thousands of dollars in engineering costs and concerned their home is more vulnerable to flooding.
Recently, Gillian Lindsey said she learned the neighbor was living in the residence even though she believed the property did not have a certificate of occupancy.
“And occupancy of a property that has not gotten a certificate of occupancy … what warrants and what policy does the Town use to grant to overlook somebody occupying a property?” she asked.
However, Community Development Director Mark Shipley said the property owner has a temporary certificate of occupancy.
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August 26, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
A 12.25-acre farm property at 13117 Harrison Road is being targeted for townhome development, raising concerns from nearby residents about density and traffic.
Thomas Krajewski, vice president of land development for Homestead Land Holdings LLC, requested the property be rezoned from Agricultural to Attached Single-Family Residential (R-4) during a workshop at the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission’s Thursday, Aug. 20, meeting. FMPC took no action on the request.
“We’re pursuing a community for Saddlebrook Properties,” a sister company of Homestead Land Holdings, Krajewski said.
Farragut Community Development Director Mark Shipley said the property is at the northwest intersection of Harrison Road and North Watt Road. He added the property is “entirely in the Town limits and currently has two dwelling units, a barn and some accessory structures.”
Shipley said the property currently has access onto Harrison Road.
“The property is zoned Agricultural, which has a 5-acre minimum lot size per dwelling unit and is currently used for agricultural purposes, with a farm pond on the southeast corner,” Shipley said. “Some wooded areas are situated along the northern portion of the property.”
He pointed out R-4 zoning would allow a density of up to six dwelling units per acre.
“In terms of the existing Future Land Use Map, the rezoning request would fall within the Low Density Residential Land Use with a density range from three to six dwelling units per acre,” Shipley said. “Thus, if the rezoning moves forward, a request to amend the Future Land Use Map will also be needed.”
If changed, “the development density for this property will be substantially greater than its current zoning designation,” he said. “You are going from Agricultural to Attached Single Family, which is basically townhome development.
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August 26, 2026 by
July 29 — Identity theft:
A woman reported that a suspect used her personal information to open a Discover credit card. She learned of the account and an unfamiliar address while reviewing her credit information through Knoxville TVA Employees Federal Credit Union.
July 30 —
Building materials stolen:
A complainant reported that five rolls of synthetic roofing felt valued at $655 were stolen from a construction site on Red Poppy Drive. The theft occurred sometime between July 24 and July 27. The report lists the suspect as unknown.
July 31 — Identity theft:
A man reported that a suspect used his personal information and account PIN to transfer his home telephone number from TDS Telecom to another network. The man said he had never used the PIN and did not know how the suspect obtained it.
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August 26, 2026 by
In last week’s story regarding new Farragut soccer coach Derek Wright, we mentioned Lucas Spadafora as a returning player. We meant to list Lukas Maier. We regret the error and thank Coach Wright and his team for their understanding.
