News
June 17, 2026 by Jake Nichols
On Thursday, March 28, Scott Smith made a prediction inside Devan Park.
He had no idea Elsa Morrison would transform it into a prophecy.
Standing in the mezzanine at the Women’s College World Series, Smith — Morrison’s travel coach — had been talking with officials from USA Softball during Tennessee’s opener against the Longhorns.
At the time, they had been discussing Texas standout Reese Atwood. But Morrison waited in the on-deck circle below, and Smith wanted people to recognize the talent from Farragut, too.
“He kind of turned his body and started chatting with someone else, and as (Elsa) is walking up to the plate, I tapped him and said, ‘She’s about to hit a home run,’” Smith said.
Seconds later, Morrison smacked a three-run shot in her Women’s College World Series debut.
“Obviously I didn’t know that would happen,” Smith said days later. “I said it to him more jokingly, but it did not shock me at all. She rises to the moment and always has.”
That drive has pushed Morrison throughout her life, guiding her to a three-year stint with the Lady Admirals before landing at Tennessee.
Well before that, though, Morrison and her parents put in the kind of sacrifice that ensured success, time and travel be darned. So when she sent the ball soaring, then her parents received that home run ball, it brought a welcomed sense of validation for the whole family.
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Says claims intended to mislead voters
June 17, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Information regarding Farragut Alderman Alex Cain's departure from his employment with Gibbs High School five years ago surfaced last weekend in news reports.
"This was a big surprise to me," Cain said about the recent reports.
Cain has retained Knoxville attorney Daniel Herrera to handle all public comments and inquiries regarding his mayoral campaign.
"Any allegations made against Mr. Cain are untrue," Herrera said, adding that Cain's "separation from Gibbs was amicable."
"It has come to Mr. Cain's attention that his political opponents are attempting to use a vague, irrelevant and immaterial employment dispute to shamefully mislead and misdirect the voters of Farragut," Herrera said in a press release. "These shameful political attacks, and 'fake news' rumors serve no purpose other than a weak attempt to poison an election.
"Mr. Cain maintains that he has committed no wrongdoing," Herrera added. "In fact, this issue never became anything other than what it truly is — an employment dispute."
"We had a difference of opinion," Cain said. "I was looking out for the welfare of a student. Administrators believed it was a violation of school board policy."
Cain said the issue involved a student who was missing class and that he was checking on the student before making a truancy report.
He said any actions he took were for the benefit of students and the school, just as his actions now are for the Town.
"So when we had our final meeting, we decided we'd part amicably. They didn't renew my contract but said I was eligible to be rehired," Cain said.
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June 17, 2026 by Jake Nichols
From the patio at Cheers at Choto, one still can find serenity on the waters of Fort Loudon Lake.
Turn your eyes back toward the restaurant, though, and therein lies the nightmare: charred wood, a collapsed roof and debris with a stench that hangs in the air.
Owners Nick and Amy Batson saw the wreckage for themselves late last week, having already viewed the damage through videos and photos sent by neighbors, friends and employees.
The couple had been away in Hilton Head, South Carolina, looking to relax before a big weekend kicking off another summer at the restaurant they have owned since 2019.
Instead, they found out through a phone call at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 10, that their beloved hangout — known as Willy’s Bar and Grill under previous ownership — was engulfed in flames.
“I felt like I was waking up to a nightmare, like I was still asleep,” Nick Batson said of that morning. “It took a few minutes to process the call I had just received, saying the building was on fire, and I started receiving videos of it. It was just hard to believe. That’s not something you want to wake up to when you’re trying to relax and decompress. That’s why we went on vacation.”
“We were planning on being gone a couple of days to just regroup and get ready for the busy weekend,” Amy Batson added. “That is not what happened.”
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June 17, 2026 by Staff reports
As America celebrates 250 years in existence, the Town fo Farragut is celebrating that milestone in its Independence Day Parade.
“This year’s parade will recognize the nation’s 250th birthday with an Americana theme,” Town communications manager Wendy Smith stated in a press release.
The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 4, lining up at Farragut High School and proceeding down Lendon Welch Way to Kingston Pike, according to Smith.
It continues west to Boring Road, just east of Farragut Towne Square Shopping Center (the former Ingles store site).
Additionally, Fleet Feet Sports hosts the annual Farragut Freedom Run 1 Mile & 2 Mile prior to the start of the parade.
“This flat and fast course is USATF-certified and perfect for all levels,” Smith stated. Register at runsignup.com/farragutfreedomrun.
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June 17, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
With America 250 as its theme this year, the Town of Farragut Parks & Recreation is celebrating the country’s independence by honoring its veterans for its 2026 Independence Day parade.
“Each year, we get to select the grand marshal,” said Dian Hall, a member of Farragut Parks & Athletics Council. “This year, we decided on military veterans because it’s the 250th anniversary.
Since Hall is a veteran herself, having served 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, Parks and Recreation director Ron Oestreich suggested Hall head up the search.
“We have gotten to the point we have 15 veterans,” said Hall, who earned a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, graduated from Indiana University and enlisted in 1985. After serving four years, she realized she loved the Air Force and continued serving. While in the Air Force, she met her husband, who also was in the military. They retired in 2012.
Those veterans are: Fred Adomat, Coast Guard; Jim Bolon, Navy; Nancy Bolon, Navy; Marilyn Childress, Navy; Bill Craddick, Army; Dave Fahidy, Marine Corps; Gerry Godolphin, Air Force; Stewart Greenfield, Marine Corps.; Jessica Hodge, Marine Corps, Dennis Laneman, Army; Kristi Luttrell, Coast Guard; Jim O’Brien, Air Force; Scott Rastovic, Air Force; Noell Simmons, Air Force; and Jason Simon, Navy.
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New transportation projects on CIP
June 17, 2026 by Wendy Smith
The Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) approved the Town’s FY2027 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027) budget on May 28, which included funding for the Capital Investment Program (CIP). The CIP lays out how big projects, like road construction and park improvements, will be funded and managed over the next six years. While Town staff recommend projects, BOMA prioritizes them.
The current Board places a heavy emphasis on transportation projects. That’s why 73 percent of FY2027 CIP budget will go toward transportation and infrastructure projects. They want to keep traffic flowing as efficiently as possible in Farragut.
The Board and Town staff recognize how important it is to address traffic flow at the future elementary school now. The school is scheduled to open in fall 2027, and these projects are expected to be completed by then:
• New Sugarwood Drive access to Kingston Pike — A new access road will connect Sugarwood Drive to the intersection at Kingston Pike and Smith Road to allow easier access to and from Sugarwood subdivision during peak
traffic.
• Pedestrian crossing on Boring Road — A mid-block crosswalk from the existing greenway on the south side of Country Manor subdivision to a proposed sidewalk on Boring Road will improve pedestrian access to the new elementary school (A Knox County project to widen Boring Road is currently underway).
• Intersection improvements at Boring Road/Smith Road — A multi-way stop and reconstruction of Dominick Point will provide easier access for school buses.
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June 17, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
The Town of Farragut will welcome a mix of new and returning volunteers to its advisory committees following appointments approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The Board voted unanimously during its Thursday, June 11, meeting to fill committee vacancies as several members' terms expired.
The appointments were discussed during a workshop before the regular meeting. According to Town administrator David Smoak, those selected will begin serving Wednesday, July 1, with terms ending June 30, 2027.
The appointments include:
• Arts and Beautification: Cynthia Gallentine, Dot LaMarche, Cynthia Smith, William Craddick, Jamie Roark, Susan Brooks and Lynda McConnell.
• Board of Zoning Appeals: Michael Bellamy.
• Museum Advisory Board: Beverly Hammond, Bill Battle, Joyce Moran, Christopher Carnes, Roger Kittleson and Melody Wagstaff.
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June 17, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Brent Gibson, who won the Republican nomination for Knox County sheriff in the May 5 primary election, will remain the party's nominee after the Tennessee Republican State Executive Committee unanimously voted to uphold the election results.
The committee voted to allow the Knox County sheriff's primary results to stand at its Wednesday, June 10 meeting.
With no Democratic nominee currently on the ballot for the August General Election, Gibson is now the Republican nominee and sheriff-elect. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said the committee's decision is final.
"I'm just real excited that the committee upheld exactly what Knox County voters came out to do," Gibson told TV reporters after the meeting.
"Confidence in our election depends on citizens knowing that their votes matter, their voices are heard and their decisions are respected," Gibson told the committee during the hearing.
Mike Davis, who challenged the May 5 Republican primary results, thanked the committee for considering his appeal.
"I appreciate Tennessee State Republican Party
Chairman Scott Golden and the Republican Party Executive Committee for their time and consideration," Davis said.
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June 17, 2026 by
farragutpress is now accepting political profile submissions for the 2026 election cycle.
As the 2026 election season approaches, farragutpress is providing political candidates with an opportunity to share their message directly with readers through candidate profiles published in the newspaper.
• Each candidate may submit one profile, and the written content should be 400 words or fewer.
• One photograph may accompany the profile.
• While the newspaper will not alter the substance or message of submitted profiles, it reserves the right to make spelling and grammar corrections as needed / AP style.
• All submissions will be reviewed by the Publisher prior to print deadlines to ensure they meet established standards.
• Candidates need to provide contact information with their submission in case clarification or follow-up is necessary.
Candidates may email their political profiles to editor@farragutpress.com
The deadline for political profiles prior to the August 6th election is 12 p.m. on Friday, July 10th.
Deadline for profiles is Friday by 12 p.m. prior to the following week’s publication.
June 17, 2026 by
• Theft from building: On June 3, 2026, a Farragut woman reported several pieces of jewelry and two rolls of pennies missing from her Laurel Valley Road home. She said she first noticed the items missing in January but believed they had been misplaced until deciding to report them stolen. The woman told deputies she suspects someone employed as a home health aide through a Veterans Association provider may have taken the items because different caregivers regularly visited the home. The reported loss was valued at about $14,074.
• Theft from building: June 6, 2026, a Farragut woman reported an electric bicycle was stolen from a detached garage at a home on Harrow Road. She told deputies the garage's side door has a lock that does not work properly and believes the suspect entered through that door. No surveillance cameras were on the property. The bicycle was valued at $1,074.
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