Happy Cinco De Mayo and May the 4th be with you This space was previously home to a Paul’s the range is operating on Summer hours and open on Friday through Monday Hours of operation at the range differ between summer and winter All scheduled closures due to reservations or unscheduled closures due to weather or other will be posted here and on Facebook.  If you have any questions please call the range office directly at (208) 683-1499 or call the Panhandle Regional office at (208) 769-1414 Reserved Use: The Farragut Public Shooting Range hosts activities that enhance and strengthen the shooting sports The range is available for reserved use to groups of 10 or more limited to 7 hours of shooting activity between the hours of 9 a.m sanctioned and informal competition events gun safety and marksmanship training events and all others are welcome and encouraged to consider hosting a special event at the Farragut Shooting Range the Hunter Education Classroom reservation fee schedule will take effect beginning Jan For one of the shooting ranges or for the classroom there is a NONREFUNDABLE reservation fee of $50 plus tax per half-day of use plus a $50 refundable security deposit.  There is a NONREFUNABLE reservation fee of $100 plus tax per full-day of use plus a $100 refundable security deposit.  The individual in charge of the event must pay the reservation fee and refundable security (cleaning/damage) deposit (half-day total $103; full-day total $206) at the time the reservation is made The classroom can easily seat approximately 30 people while offering plenty of parking space The range use reservation is separate and in addition to the classroom reservation Contact the range office if interested in reserving space: 208-683-1499 Directions: From US-95, take exit for ID-54 in Athol Drive east on ID-54 for 3.8 miles toward Bayview and Farragut State Park take the third exit to travel north on Perimeter Road for 1.7 miles Range entrance is located on the right (east) side of Perimeter Road Follow the gravel road approximately 0.4 miles to the range and check in at the Range Office Shooters Road (currently unavailable on Google Maps) This is the official web site of the Idaho Fish & Game Farragut Public Shooting Range.  All data here within is the most current and correct information regarding the range family or neighbors at your next get together by learning the ins and outs of Dutch oven cooking Buy Licenses Hunt Planner Hunter Ed Fishing Planner IFWF Hunt Report Report Wildlife Crime Volunteer! Report Roadkill Posted by | Apr 30, 2025 | | 0 Farragut’s soccer team ended a long losing streak against Bearden on Saturday night Farragut played visiting Bearden to a 1-1 tie after 100 minutes of regulation play and two 10-minute golden-goal (sudden death) overtimes Bearden then won a penalty-kick shootout 4-3 when Bulldogs goalkeeper Logan Nelson blocked a PK attempt by Nathan Henderson in the sixth round was in goal for the Bulldogs’ PK victory over Ravenwood in last year’s Class AAA state championship game And Nelson had the winning penalty kick in the shootout against Ravenwood and hopefully he’ll hit it my way,’ Nelson said “I knew my team needed to bang in some shots on the back side to win us the game Bearden entered Saturday with a nine-match winning streak against Farragut Saturday’s match counts as a tie for both teams The sudden-death overtime and PK shootout are used only for District 4-AAA seeding purposes Bearden (14-1-2) is 5-0-1 in District 4-AAA while Farragut and Hardin Valley Academy are still competing for second place in the district Bearden’s only regular-season match remaining is at Johnson City Science Hill this coming Thursday Farragut still has a non-district match against Halls and a district match against Heritage this week HVA and West have a district match left against each other that will affect the district standings Nelson had one save in Saturday’s PK shootout but I think we’ve trained for these big night games to come out and win Farragut keeper Matthew Burney blocked two shots in the PK shootout Burney entered in goal for the shootout in place of Parker Fuller Bearden finished regulation and overtime with 16 shots (eight on goal) and Fuller made several clutch saves that kept the Admirals in the match “All I know is both teams got everything they wanted tonight,” Farragut coach Bradley Culbreth said Bearden took a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute of Saturday’s match when Preston Ford knocked a low shot past Fuller The Admirals’ Lincoln Unger booted a long free kick toward the Bulldogs’ goal Franklin Von Hagen drilled the penalty kick low and to his left past Nelson “I’m pretty frustrated with how the game went and how we approached the second half,” Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said you’d like to see a team come out and put the nail in the coffin “I want us to be a team that when you go up 1-0 in the first 3 minutes to keep your foot on the pedal and keep going Article written by Dave Link/5Star Preps To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc… visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2024 for 30% off your first year or month subscription Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" FARRAGUT, Tenn. — Welcome to Farragut, Tenn. Just up the road from us is this little town has got a lot to offer for our intrepid roadtrippers that make the drive Watch the entire Road Trippin' in the video below or visit the links below to skip around and enjoy Farragut The Knox County Board of Education unanimously approved a contractor to build a new elementary school in Farragut with a more than $43.7 million price tag with renovations to two existing schools to follow Construction will begin in May and the school will be ready to open by fall 2027 Renovations will be made to Farragut Primary and Farragut Intermediate schools at a reported estimated cost of $3 million "I just wanted to thank the board for your vote ahead of time for our new elementary school," Lauren Morgan District 5 representative for the Farragut schools Details about the new Farragut elementary schoolThe school will be one story and have the capacity for 1,200 to 1,400 students in kindergarten through fifth grade across 144,255 square feet the school building's core will provide room for administrative offices along with a gym Three classroom wings are incorporated into the design Merit Construction's contract covers site work for limited public street improvements One alternate item included is an additional $29,000 for a sidewalk Why is Knox County Schools building a new school in Farragut?The new school will help KCS address overcrowding at the four current Farragut schools. And with 79,000 people expected to move to Knox County by 2040 a new school in the Farragut area is a step toward addressing this issue Here are the numbers for Farragut schools: Farragut Primary and Farragut Intermediate schools will be renovated and converted into elementary schools ‒ including the removal of the portable classrooms ‒ after construction is complete on the new school there will be three elementary schools in the Farragut area Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at knoxnews.com/subscribe Posted by | Apr 24, 2025 | , | 0 The Farragut Museum is now open after being closed for a year and a half during the town of Farragut Town Hall renovations The Farragut Museum hours will be Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m housed inside Town Hall at 11408 Municipal Center Drive A ribbon-cutting for the museum is planned for Saturday Docents volunteer to give tours of the museum and offer additional information on the exhibits the museum has a gallery on the historic settlement of the area beginning with the native Americans to the early communities of Campbell’s Station and Concord Highlights include the importance of the marble industry and the railroads through the area There is a display on the Founding of Farragut and the early years of Farragut High School An additional gallery houses the Admiral David Farragut collection This collection includes his personal china bayonet and parts of his Civil War uniform items from the USS Hartford include his desk Admiral Farragut commanded the USS Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay The third gallery will be used as rotating exhibit space there is a tribute to veterans serving in the Civil War The Farragut Museum will also operate a small gift shop offering books “We are excited to be able to offer the museum to the Farragut community for our residents and our visitors It is a great place to learn more about the area The Admiral Farragut collection is really extraordinary I think everyone will be impressed with the artifacts we have of his,” said Kristi Vining historic resources coordinator for town of Farragut KnoxTNToday’s goal is to inform, uplift and entertain. Send stories or comments to news@knoxtntoday.com FARRAGUT, Tenn. — Welcome to Farragut, Tenn! Just up the road from us is a little town that has got a lot to offer for our intrepid roadtrippers that make the drive And Diamond talked with Hallie Reid who is the tourism manager for Farragut on why you should visit their booming town Visit visitfarragut.org for more information FARRAGUT, Tenn. — Put on your dancin' boots and get ready with Diamond as she visits the world-famous Cotton Eyed Joe! Watch as the owner of Cotton Eyed Joe talks with Diamond about their line dancing lessons great performances and their mechanical bull Watch as Diamond visits McFee Park and talks with the owner of Hurricane Cycles FARRAGUT, Tenn. — After being in the car for a bit you should make Blue Ridge Yoga your first stop in Farragut Get a yoga workout in and maybe follow it up with a great massage Blue Ridge Yoga is like being welcomed to a home away from home you'll leave feeling relaxed and ready for the day Watch as Diamond talks with the owner of Blue Ridge Yoga about why it is so important to treat yourself after a long day FARRAGUT, Tenn. — Antiques, crafts, decorations and a great selection of candy, no trip to Farragut would be complete without a stop at The Shoppes at Homespun. They constantly have new items in the shop and it's worth the stop every time about why it is always worth the trip to visit their unique antique and craft vendor store FARRAGUT, Tenn. — They've got savory and they've got sweet at The French Market Crêperie Bentley White and his family were trying to shelter at a church in Ballard County when their car was crushed by flying debris — A Farragut 8-year-old was hurt after flying debris hit his family's car during severe storms in Kentucky The White family was traveling to Missouri and planned to stop at the halfway point in Paducah the family stopped at a local church in Ballard County for shelter but couldn't get inside Their car was parked under a carport at the church but was crushed after being hit by flying debris, according to the Ballard County Emergency Management Agency.  had emergency brain surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of Thursday afternoon The family said more surgeries are to come His parents and younger sister sustained minor injuries The church suffered a direct hit from debris and sustained severe structural damage Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed that multiple tornadoes touched down across the state Meanwhile, in Tennessee, President Donald Trump approved Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's requested emergency declaration after five people were killed during the storms in the state Bentley's family has provided an update on Facebook regarding his condition "Bentley continues to show positive signs of response and doctors are encouraged by what they are seeing," The family posted "He had a drain removed from his brain and had to get a stitch in his head.. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Tennessee softball signee Elsa Morrison went 2-for-2 on Monday for Farragut High School (Farragut Tennessee) in its 10-0 five-inning run-rule victory over William Blount High School (Maryville The Lady Admirals clinched a District 4-4A regular-season championship two RBIs and two runs for Farragut (22-7-1 1-0 after Morrison's double in the first inning Morrison committed to the Lady Vols in Oct She committed to Tennessee as a catcher and is now playing shortstop for Farragut Farragut has won three of its last five games The Lady Admirals will next play Tuesday at defending Class AAA state champion Gibbs High School in Corryton Farragut will open District 4-4A Tournament play Wednesday at William Blount Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) Posted by | Apr 8, 2025 | | 0 This is an amazing time of fellowship that we started last year at Chilhowee and Sunnyview (elementary schools) and the parents/guardians create a basket for their child at no cost to them “It gives them time to meet other families who are also in a hard season of life They get to make a personalized basket for their child rather than one someone else donates already filled Thank you to Holston Hills Country Club for helping spread the word!” A Knoxville veteran was awarded a unique gift on Friday Army Medical Corps and drove a tank from 1962-1965 he spent time as a ranger with the National Park Service McCarter was presented with a Quilt of Valor a handmade quilt awarded to veterans as a gift for their service “The military was a significant time for our elders and one in which they take pride,” said Lorie Warren life engagement director for Concord Place Town of Farragut staff will host an open house at the newly-renovated Farragut Town Hall The open house will be a unique opportunity for the public to view all of the renovated space Staff members will be present to answer questions and help visitors navigate the new floorplan The Farragut Museum will be open during the event but installation of artifacts will be incomplete Town Hall will open for business on Monday The Farragut branch of the Knox County Clerk’s and Trustee’s offices will reopen the same day in a new location on the first floor of Town Hall The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will cut the ribbon on the renovated Town Hall at 5 p.m The ceremony will precede the first board meeting held at Town Hall since meetings were moved to the Farragut Community Center in January 2024 This was the first renovation since Town Hall was completed in 1991 All renovations and new furnishings were paid for with funding received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 long-time custodian for Union County Schools Harold Gilbert announced his retirement Gilbert is turning in his janitor’s broom for a hunting rifle He’s going with son Mark this fall to look for a deer Central Office hosted a party for Gilbert who said he will miss handing out candy to the kids Principal Chief Michell Hicks said April 1 marked “a proud and historic moment for our people as the sign for Kuwohi was officially unveiled in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” Lavita Hill and Mary “Missy” Crowe were vital in restoring this name to our ancestral homelands “Restoring the name Kuwohi is a reminder that our connection to these mountains is as strong today as it’s ever been.” Halls Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Halls Business & Professional Association, will be Good Friday, April 18, at 7:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall of Beaver Dam Baptist Church. Guest speaker is Shannon Sayne, entering his 20th season as Halls High wrestling coach. Individual tickets are available for $20 in advance or at the door. Contact Judy McMahan at 865-925-3948 or via email at jmcmahan@hpud.org for info or to purchase tickets Fort Sumter Community Cemetery board of directors and officers has scheduled its required annual meeting for 7 p.m The annual report and questions will be answered at this meeting Baxter Gardens limits hours: Baxter Gardens in Fountain City will be closed to the public beginning this year as one of the featured gardens in the Dogwood Arts Festival Baxter Gardens is on 32 acres at Sam Cooper Lane adjacent to the home of Bill and Ginger Baxter Both Bill and Ginger have been generous with the land Ginger hosted an annual spring party to benefit the Fountain City Art Center and since its beginning it has been open during April for Dogwood Arts The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has released two investigative reports related to Farragut High School (FHS) which is part of the Knox County School System (KCS) Both investigations began after school system officials reported questionable transactions to the Comptroller’s Office The first investigation is related to the Farragut Dugout Club which is a school support organization for the FHS baseball team Investigators determined club officers paid salary supplements to FHS baseball coaches totaling $3,350 These “thank you” gifts were not approved by the school system since four of the coaches who received payments are KCS employees the club should have provided the money to the Board of Education for payment to the coaches This ensures tax withholdings and other deductions are done properly The Farragut Dugout Club also used club funds to buy questionable gifts for coaches and themselves totaling at least $463.63 The Dugout Club also charged $600 “operational” fees to players in 2022 and 2023 School support organizations may not charge students to participate in school-sponsored activities Fees must be accounted for by the school and deposited in the school bank account The second investigation involved the Farragut High School Band Investigators determined that FHS made payments totaling $43,936.90 to a vendor that employed the band director resulting in a potential conflict of interest These payments included purchases of band equipment and contracted audio engineering and choreography services Investigators could not determine if the band director personally benefitted from the FHS purchases while working in both positions FHS should have also obtained written quotes as required when disbursements for purchases or services exceed $25,000 in one school year Investigators also found the FHS band director and assistant band director used a school credit card to pay $1,500 for a questionable meal at a restaurant in Nashville in April 2024 and two individuals unaffiliated with FHS attended the meal Funds collected from student fees and fundraisers should only be used for the benefit of the entire band and not selected students The results of both investigations have been communicated with the Office of the District Attorney General of the 6th Judicial District “School support organizations in Tennessee must establish strong internal controls to ensure money and assets are safeguarded,” said Comptroller Mumpower “I encourage Knox County Schools to address any existing issues within its school booster clubs that could lead to improper activity.” To view the investigative report, go to tncot.cc/doireports. To view a map depicting Comptroller investigations, go to tncot.cc/mappinginvestigations If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at 800.232.5454, or file a report online at: tncot.cc/fraud Follow us on X/Twitter @TNCOT and Instagram @tncot Media contact: John Dunn, Director of Communications, 615.401.7755 or john.dunn@cot.tn.gov Posted by | Dec 23, 2024 | | 0 The town of Farragut has been awarded a $2.75 million grant that will be used to develop park property that was purchased in 2023 The Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant managed locally by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) was a 50% match of the total purchase price of the property “This has been a year-long effort that will enhance the town’s financial position and strengthen our parks system for years to come,” said Farragut Mayor Ron Williams “This is the largest TDEC LWCG grant the town of Farragut has ever received.” is on the west side of McFee Road near the junction with Boyd Station Road The grant requires that construction of recreational facilities must begin by 2027 The Farragut Parks & Recreation Department will be soliciting extensive community feedback on desired amenities for the new park The LWCF Grant program is a nationwide competitive grant cycle indoor and outdoor recreation facilities and trail development Town of Farragut provided information for this story Posted by | Jan 15, 2025 | | 8 Updated 1/19/25 to remove reference to curbs on Hughlan Drive Kudos to District Attorney Charme Allen who pursued a case that the Knox County Sheriff’s Office refused to charge Remember the first day of school when a young girl was hit while waiting for her school bus? She was sitting on Hughlan Drive in Farragut. She was struck by a hit-and-run driver and left lying in the road to be cared for by other motorists. Our earlier story here The Department of Children’s Services is the legal guardian of the minor while the driver is the son of a former state representative and is a developer/political activist in Knox County The kid got “thoughts and prayers” from the school system and the Sheriff’s Office declined to charge the driver who came forward the next day after substantial press coverage The media (including Knox TN Today) did not report the driver’s name since he had not been charged This case had all the markings of going away “Our office decides whom to charge.” She met with Sheriff Tom Spangler and the case went silent until this week in case 129489 in Criminal Court Division II He received a sentence of one year on Judicial Diversion Restitution will be handled through civil means according to DA spokesperson Sean McDermott “The victim appeared in court and provided a victim-impact statement in which she described her injuries to the judge and stated that she forgave Mr The victim stated that she should have been standing at the bus stop instead of sitting but the judge told her that this incident was not her fault.” Judge Hector Sanchez presides over Criminal Court Division II McDermott continues: “The following stipulation of proof was announced during the plea colloquy: the defendant Harley Earnest Bittle was driving a 2022 Ford F450 truck eastbound on Hughlan Drive at the intersection of Thornton Drive was at a bus stop waiting for her school bus and seated at the edge of the westbound lane of Hughlan Drive he crossed over into the westbound lane and struck [F.G.] with the F450 truck Bittle stated he could not see traffic approaching from his right on Thornton Drive due to foliage blocking his view so he left the proper lane of travel and crossed into the opposite lane on Hughlan Drive so that his large truck could make the left turn onto Thornton Drive Bittle focused his attention on the right-hand side mirror of his truck to look for oncoming traffic on Thornton Drive he struck [F.G.] and slowly rolled through the stop sign Bittle became aware that he may have struck someone Bittle’s criminal actions are limited to recklessly and illegally committing one or more traffic violations while in his vehicle which falls under the definition of a deadly weapon Bittle’s vehicle was in full compliance with the Tennessee Financial Responsibility law regarding insurance coverage at the time of the incident and therefore deferred to be addressed in civil proceedings DCS is the legal guardian of [F.G.] and agrees that restitution should be handled via civil proceedings at this time.” Thank you for sticking to this story until it was resolved It was obvious that whoever was responsible for this girl’s injuries and pain was going to get a pass for reasons of political influence or importance Good for Charme Allen for pursuing this case without prejudice That shows that Sheriff Tom Spangler does not run his Sheriff’s office well.What is good for the goose is also good for the gander Just because Mr Bittle has some ploitical power Sheriff Tom Spangler favored in Mr Bittle by not charging his son in the accident.I PRaise Atty General’s office for stepping up and pursuing the charge and hold Harley’sInsurance liable for Dr There should be some disability pay due the girl for pain and suffering..Mr Bittle,if this had been your daughter and this happened charges would have demanded to be brought forth the next day you should be ashamed of yourself for letting your Deputies do as they please More than five months after a hit-and-run in which a 16-year-old Farragut girl was injured as she waited for a bus on the first day of school Knoxville developer Harley “Rusty” Bittle was driving a 2022 F-450 pickup truck when he hit the girl as he cut through the West Knox County neighborhood to avoid school traffic The following day he contacted the Knox County Sheriff's Office to say he might have hit her though he told officers he thought he ran over a blanket 14 to reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon He received one year of unsupervised probation whom Knox News is not naming because she is a minor was hospitalized in critical condition at the time is the founding partner of Flatrock Entertainment Group LLC which operates the Flatrock Motorsports Park in Cumberland County He is the son of longtime Knoxville state legislator H.E who represented parts of West Knoxville 1989-2002 Bittle told investigators he was turning left from Hughlan Drive onto Thornton Drive when he felt a bump and “stopped and looked in his mirror.” He kept going because he said all he saw was what he thought was a blanket lying on the side of the road He was using the route to avoid traffic on Concord Road She was sitting on the edge of Hughlan Drive with her legs extended and was hit in “the lower mid-section of her body,” according to the police report The report notes the driver failed to keep in the proper lane Nearly two weeks after the incident, the sheriff's office put out a news release saying the driver would not be charged. The Knox County District Attorney’s Office contradicted the sheriff's office later that day, telling Knox News no charging decision had been made Sheriff Tom Spangler and District Attorney Charme Allen met to review evidence in the case they did not say whether a decision to charge the man had been made Assistant District Attorney Sean McDermott told Knox News the crash investigation was ongoing Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone The Tennessee high school baseball playoffs are set to begin as teams chase a spot in the TSSAA state baseball tournament during Spring Fling that begins in May in Murfreesboro Here are the district baseball tournament schedules in the Knoxville area Note: If your district tournament is not listed times and where your tournament will be held to Jonathan Cox at jscox@tennessean.com or George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com Jefferson County-Morristown West winner vs May 2: Gatlinburg-Pittman-Oneida winner vs Class 1ADistrict 3-1AAt Coalfield High School Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports (Farragut) – Farragut Fire & Rescue is gearing up for its annual whole hog sausage and pancake fundraiser next weekend The free-will donation event takes place Saturday the annual event serves as a fundraiser for the volunteer department Skylar Fuller says the dinner includes plenty of fan favorites and have everything ready to roll," said Fuller bulk sausage and patties will be available for sale Fuller says the department uses the funds to purchase a variety of equipment "We do it every year and it's just something to support small town rural communities and everybody around here needs that from just about every single aspect of it," Fuller explained "Every little donation helps when you're working with small town communities and it's just a great thing we do to try and get some funds going." Fuller says they will also showcase some of the recent equipment the department purchased "We got a new grass truck this last year and we're going to showcase that," he said we're going to show off some of the stuff as we haven't got it all in just yet we'll have that sitting out for everybody to see kind of what the funds are going to." Fuller and Fire Chief Kevin Walther were recent guests on KMA's "Morning Show" program we attempt to be accurate in our reporting please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Thanks to CDC for sending: “The Qargo Coffee at Farragut North is all gutted and appears done.” Christian Academy of Knoxville and Farragut High School celebrated several athletes signing college scholarships on National Signing Day Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) announces that three student-athletes sigined to play at the collegiate level Farragut High School had four student-athletes signing to play sports at the collegiate level Find sanctuary city resources from the City of Portland's Immigrant & Refugee Program including free legal services and state resources for reporting hate crimes Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) improvements at Farragut Park (N Kerby Avenue and Farragut Street) are substantially complete and new features are in place to welcome park visitors and a new basketball court are open for public use The Bureau installed more play equipment for park visitors ages five and under helping to ensure that PP&R is providing appropriate play opportunities for more people of all ages and abilities.  The Farragut Park project also features benches and new ADA-accessible ramps leading to the park and pathways Park visitors can now enjoy the interactive water play area with fountains and dumping buckets—perfect for cooling off in this summer heat While construction work continues to relocate utilities and construct a new ADA ramp at the N Vancouver area of the park all work is expected to be completed by mid-August There are many other playgrounds across the community’s parks system that need repairs. PP&R and its nonprofit fundraising partner the Portland Parks Foundation continue to work together to leverage private donations for improving playgrounds across the city. For more information about rebuilding playgrounds with the Portland Parks Foundation, click here System Development Charges (SDCs) have funded most of the improvements at Farragut Park Park SDCs are not General Fund tax dollars; they are one-time fees assessed on new development SDCs help ensure that Portland’s quality of life keeps pace with its infrastructure needs as the city’s population grows SDC funds are only available to improve and expand park features and capacity.  The Farragut Park project used $1.75M in System Development Charges to add new equipment suited for toddlers and remove ADA barriers for better playground accessibility www.portland.gov/parks/construction/farragut-park-improvements-project See something we could improve on this page? Give website feedback The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. Request an ADA accommodation or call 503-823-4000, Relay Service: 711 503-823-4000  Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | 口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad | Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me Awewen Kapas | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या Farragut High School's baseball booster club funneled thousands of dollars of payments to coaches and the band's director and assistant director spent $1,500 dollars on a meal in Nashville for a small group of student band members and adults which investigated the spending at the request of Knox County Schools said the school paid nearly $44,000 to a vendor that employed the band director The school did not seek written quotes for the payments for band equipment audio engineering and choreography services Investigators were not able to determine if the band director benefitted personally from the transactions "The district is prepared to take any necessary action that has not already been taken as a result of these findings," Knox County Schools spokesperson Carly Harrington wrote Sept The agency concluded that Farragut Dugout Club officers paid salary supplements to baseball coaches totaling $3,350 These direct payments were not approved by the district as required The club should have directed the money to the Knox County Board of Education to be sent to the coaches pointing out that directing money through the school board ensures tax withholdings and other deductions are done properly Baseball booster club officials also charged $600 in fees to players in 2022 and 2023. Booster clubs, by state law cannot charge students for participating in school activities Fees should be accounted for by the school and deposited to the school's bank account the baseball boosters bought "questionable gifts" for coaches and themselves totaling at least $463 The band director and assistant band director used a school credit card to pay for the meal in Nashville in April one student teacher and two unaffiliated individuals "Funds collected from student fees and fundraisers should only be used for the benefit of the entire band and not selected students faculty or other individuals," the comptroller's office said "School support organizations in Tennessee must establish strong internal controls to ensure money and assets are safeguarded," Jason Mumpower "I encourage Knox County Schools to address any existing issues within its school booster clubs that could lead to improper activity." Knox News Visuals Editor Jennifer Dedman served on the band booster club board of directors from 2021-2023 Those payments were not made by the club and the booster board had no oversight of them Dedman is no longer on the board and has been excluded from the newsroom's coverage of the payments that were investigated Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news Posted by | Feb 12, 2025 | | 0 Bearden’s basketball teams played up to their rankings Friday night and pulled off a double-header sweep at rival Farragut Junior point guard Natalya Hodge scored 21 points as Bearden’s girls defeated Farragut 54-46 1 seeding in District 4-4A for the postseason junior point guard Justin Nordin scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half leading Bearden’s boys to a 54-48 victory over the Admirals 3 in the state by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Here are some highlights of Friday’s games: surpassed the 2,000-point mark for her career during the victory at Farragut 99 games,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said “It’s pretty special for a kid like that who can fill it up I’ve never coached a kid that has instant offense like her She can find a way to score at all three levels She works so hard outside of the gym just getting better 9-0 in District 4-4A) fended off another upset bid by Farragut (18-8 which lost at Bearden 49-48 on Hodge’s free throw with less than a second remaining on Jan Bearden trailed 30-29 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter held Farragut scoreless for about 7 minutes during the third and fourth quarters “We knew we were going to be in a tough spot with the rivalry and being on their floor and it was a close game last time,” Underwood said “I think to hold them in the 40s with the amount of offensive firepower they have Senior guard Kendall Anne Murphy had 12 points and senior wing Aisha Patel scored eight for the Lady Bulldogs scored four points and had double-digit rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs “I think (Mills) was huge tonight,” Underwood said was led in scoring by senior point guard Jaci Neubert and sophomore post Trinity Curry with 13 points each and junior guard K.J Barring an upset in the district tournament “We’ve done this before,” Farragut coach Jason Mayfield said “This one’s tough because we had a good feeling about it We’ve got to come back to work whenever they let us come back to work since we’re out Monday and Tuesday We’ll rebound from this and look forward to the next game.” Knox County Schools are out Monday and Tuesday due to illnesses so none of its schools will be playing regularly scheduled games those days Bearden was scheduled to be host to William Blount on Tuesday and Farragut was set to host Hardin Valley Academy Neubert’s 3-pointer with 6 minutes and 15 seconds left in the third quarter gave Farragut a 30-29 lead taking a 39-31 lead on Murphy’s transition layup with 3 minutes left in the third The Lady Admirals scored the next five points – cutting the deficit to 39-36 – but went almost 7 minutes without scoring again leading 48-36 after Hodge’s putback with 2:30 left “I just felt like they were making a bunch of hustle plays,” Mayfield said especially with (Bearden’s) two players inside but I thought that was a big part of the game Bearden was 7 of 17 from 3-point range and Farragut was 6 of 27 “I thought they were all good looks,” Mayfield said of the 3-pointers It was a little bit more than what we normally shoot but you’ve kind of got to do that against (Bearden’s zone defense).” 8-1 in District 4-4A) trailed by seven late in the second quarter of Friday’s game after a three-point play by Dom VanAcker Nordin’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 33-32 with 4:37 left in the third quarter Jamichael Blair’s fast-break layup gave the Bulldogs a 43-35 lead with 7:31 left in the game “Farragut brought a great fight tonight,” Bearden coach Jeremy Parrott said “They played hard and played tough and took it to us for a while we got our wits about us and were able to slow them down a little bit because they were off and running “We weren’t doing very much right in the first half so we needed to go possession by possession in the second half and I feel like we were just a possession or two better.” Farragut trailed by three with a minute left in the game Farragut senior guard Carson MacTavish drove for a layup and Bearden’s Sean Capshaw was called for an intentional foul that sent MacTavish landing awkwardly on the floor MacTavish stayed on the floor for several minutes before being helped off the court Burris said the main concern was MacTavish potentially having a concussion He sustained a concussion in the Admirals’ third game of the season and missed an extended period of time so Burris didn’t have an update on his condition “He was conscious,” Burris said of MacTavish after the fall Senior guard Bryce Howard shot the free throws for MacTavish making both and cutting the deficit to 49-48 with 50.5 seconds left and Blair scored on a layup with 37 seconds to go for a 51-48 lead Howard missed the potential tying 3-point shot with 25 seconds left Bearden made 3 of 4 free throws in the remaining time while Farragut missed two more 3-point attempts “We didn’t necessarily execute in the end there at the pivotal moments I need to do a better job of prepping some of this stuff in practice so we execute it better in games returned from a foot injury and finished with 11 points Senior guard King Hubbard scored 10 points and Capshaw “Our guards are tough and when they’re playing well “It was nice to have (Blair) back tonight.” led Farragut’s scoring with 23 points and junior point guard Parker Lane scored 13 and Farragut was 7 of 16 from the foul line The Admirals were 1 of 7 from the line in the first quarter “We shoot free throws in practice every day,” Burris said “Maybe I need to put a premium on how we shoot free throws I’ve just got to figure out ways to help us be more successful at the line.” Farragut lost its third straight district game “We’ve shown the last week and a half we can play with just about anybody,” Burris said Maryville and Bearden three straight games is not easy to do “All three of those teams are extremely talented and well-coached Hopefully we’ve learned from it and hopefully it will help us if we can advance in the district tournament.” Posted by | Jan 21, 2025 | | 0 You can expect the unexpected in rivalry games There was all that Friday night when Bearden swept a basketball doubleheader against visiting rival Farragut Bearden’s girls posted a 49-48 victory when junior guard Natalya Hodge made 1 of 2 free throws with three-tenths of a second left after a technical foul was called on Farragut junior guard Justin Nordin scored a career-high 30 points and Bearden pulled away from Farragut in the second half for a 74-57 victory Fans in attendance got their money’s worth Bearden and Farragut,” Bearden girls coach Justin Underwood said Here are some highlights from Friday’s games: and her free throw with less than a second remaining capped a bizarre finish to the game Farragut took a 47-45 lead with 23 seconds left on Trinity Curry’s layup made a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 48-47 lead with 6.3 seconds to play we want (Hodge) to drive it,” Underwood said we had Emma as the shooter option and told her to look for her shot if the defense didn’t close out Farragut junior guard Jaci Neubert took the inbounds pass grabbed the rebound and heaved a desperation shot from about 14 feet and was fouled with three-tenths of a second left causing some blood on her leg and forcing her to leave the game “I asked (an official) a question about how long we’ve got,” Farragut coach Jason Mayfield said “we’re trying to work on it with our trainer Mayfield put sophomore Gabbie Vanacker into the game – and onto the foul line – in place of Neubert Vanacker missed the first free throw and made the second Then came more confusion as the inbound pass was made “There was three-tenths of a second left on the clock,” Underwood said I think even one of the girls checked back in onto the floor so (the technical) was (for) leaving the bench area and too many players on the floor just kind of a crazy finish to a rivalry game.” Mayfield said he didn’t get an explanation for the technical foul “I’m assuming we had some girls run on the court,” he said Hodge looked frustrated after her first free throw bounced off the rim and out ‘You could avoid an ending like that if we do a better job of taking care of the basketball We had a lot of turnovers there on the wing spots where we catch the ball.” 2-1 in District 4-4A) committed 19 turnovers The Lady Bulldogs shot 29 percent from the field (17 of 59) including 6 of 22 from 3-point range (27 percent) Rainey finished with 10 points and senior guard/wing Caitlin McVeigh scored eight “We were not at our best offensively,” Underwood said “I was very pleased with our defensive effort They’ve got a lot of kids back from last year that made that run We had a lot of spells offensively where we were not ourselves “(Hodge) didn’t have her best night offensively,” Underwood said “Part of that was Farragut doing a good job guarding her and part of that is she’s been really sick this week She’s not going to pull herself out of the game “Farragut’s got so many ball handlers and so many good shooters,” Underwood said I thought we did a better job in the second half scored the game’s first five points on a 3-pointer and two free throws Bearden had a 9-0 lead and appeared on its way to a comfortable victory – like Tuesday’s 61-33 victory over Maryville “It’s not a normal game,” Bearden coach Jeremy Parrott said of the rivalry You’ve got an opponent that’s not going to lie down I never once felt like we were going to separate because in that kind of game when you’ve got that kind of pride and a lot of heritage on the line you’re not going to see a team wilt in that situation Senior guard King Hubbard scored 14 points and senior wing Jamichael Blair Jr “We’ve got to cherish every district win we pick up,” Parrott said and that’s all you’re after at this time of year.” Nordin made 3 of 5 shots from 3-point range and was 8 of 9 from the foul line but it comes down to the team overall,” Nordin said Nordin had 12 points after one quarter when Bearden had a 22-17 lead He had 21 points at halftime and the Bulldogs were up 44-33 “and I felt like he did a really nice job of playing with pace tonight 1-2 in District 4-4A) cut the deficit to five early in the third quarter but trailed by 12 starting the fourth The Admirals were led in scoring by junior guard Parker Lane with 23 points and junior guard Dan Lanning with nine “They out-boarded us in the first half,” Nordin said if we don’t win those 50-50 balls and those rebounds An 8-year-old Farragut boy who was injured in Ballard County during the severe weather on April 2 is slowly healing — An 8-year-old Farragut boy who was injured in Ballard County during the severe weather on April 2 is slowly healing The White family had been traveling to Missouri when the severe weather caused them to stop at a church in Ballard County for shelter. However the family was reported to be unable to get inside injuring 8-year-old Bentley and requiring emergency brain surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville On April 5, a Facebook page dedicated to Bentley's recovery — Bentley's Battle: A Warrior's Fight — stated that he has continued to show positive signs of response Sunday should be the end of peak brain swelling with a drain and the incision dressing having been removed The page states that the trauma doctor said that everything they are seeing is encouraging "To this community that has lifted up Bentley and the family in prayers, you all are so amazing. We feel so loved and moved by all of the outreach and concern," the page wrote. "We are so grateful and thankful for all that you have done and are doing." Posted by | Jan 7, 2025 | | 0 McNealy and the Farragut girls’ basketball team got the new year started the right way Friday night The 6-foot junior guard had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Lady Admirals posted a 65-37 victory over visiting Karns in a non-district game “We haven’t gone full throttle with anything yet (this season),” McNealy said we need to start getting in the groove after Christmas and in the New Year.’ We needed to get a good win and I think we just came out playing really hard.” averaging about 13 points and nine rebounds “A lot of times (McNealy’s) the best player on the court,” Farragut coach Jason Mayfield said “We’ve challenged ourselves with a really tough schedule to not only see how good we can be Farragut (11-5) won its third straight game since a 46-37 loss to Sevier County on Dec The Lady Admirals’ other losses are to Pickett County Pickett County won the Class A state championship last season and McMinn Central reached the Class 2A state quarterfinals Farragut plays at McMinn Central on Tuesday and begins District 4-4A play next Friday (Jan “Pickett County’s a good team,” Mayfield said “We should have competed with them a little bit better (in a 59-36 loss) That one honestly was my fault on the game plan “I want to make sure we know what we’ve got going into our district play We go to McMinn Central on Tuesday and it’s another tough game and one we want to get.” McNealy was 7 of 11 from the field against Karns “There are some great nights (for McNealy) and there are some nights when she knows she’s got work to do but she’s got the potential,” Mayfield said It’s just a matter of putting it all together at one time.” added 14 points for Farragut and senior guard Jaci Neubert and sophomore post Trinity Curry scored 11 points each Curry was 5 of 6 from the field and made her only free throw Farragut made 25 of 37 two-point shots (67.6 percent) and 3 of 18 shots from 3-point range (16.7 percent) “A lot of times we rely on 3-point shooting too much,” Mayfield said but we’ve got to be able to use Trinity inside We kind of finally figured that out and did a better job “With limited practices over the last couple of weeks but we’re trying to use all the tools that we have The Lady Admirals made 19 layups – many coming on the fast break – and scored six points on three putbacks like every coach will tell you,” Mayfield said “We feel like we can pressure some people and get out and get rebounds and get some (fast) breaks I’m a little frustrated we allowed too many open shots in the first half Senior guard Rylee Roberts led Karns’ scoring with 16 points senior guard Lauren Martin had nine points and senior guard Reese Roberts scored eight The Roberts sisters are twins and Bryan College signees Karns took a 5-0 lead Friday as Farragut missed its first seven shots The Lady Admirals finished the first quarter with a 17-2 run Vanacker’s 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in the first quarter made it 17-7 but eventually we got there,” McNealy said Farragut led by 19 late in the second quarter and was up by 35 in the fourth quarter The Lady Admirals’ backups played the last 5 minutes “We have a lot of people who can play,” McNealy said More than a month after a 16-year-old Farragut girl was hit by a pickup truck while she waited for the school bus the Knox County District Attorney’s Office has not decided whether the driver will face charges whom Knox News is not naming because he has not been charged with a crime After extensive news coverage of the hit-and-run including that police were searching for the driver the man contacted police the next day to say he thought he ran over a blanket Sheriff Tom Spangler and District Attorney Charme Allen met Aug. 22 to review the evidence, one day after the sheriff's office put out a media release saying the man would not be charged. The district attorney's office told Knox News later that day that no charging decision had been made Assistant DA Sean McDermott told Knox News on Sept 10 there is no update on potential charges He previously said the office was “awaiting medical records and additional information.” What happened?A 59-year-old man said he was driving his 2022 Ford F-450 truck when he hit the girl who was waiting for a school bus the morning of Aug As the sheriff’s office sought to identify the driver he contacted investigators the next day to say he might have hit someone The man told investigators he was turning left from Hughlan Drive onto Thornton Drive when he felt a bump and “stopped and looked in his mirror.” He kept going because he said all he saw was what he thought was a blanket lying on the side of the road He was using the route as a cut-through to avoid school traffic on Concord Road The girl, whom Knox News is not naming, was hit in “the lower mid-section of her body,” according to the report. The sheriff's office said in a post on Facebook the girl was found lying on the ground when a school bus arrived She was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where she was listed in critical but stable condition the last time the sheriff’s office updated her condition The girl was sitting on the edge of Hughlan Drive with her legs extended The man was driving east on Hughlan and turned left onto Thornton when he hit the girl with his left rear tire There is a stop sign at the end of Hughlan Drive. Had the man made a proper turn onto Thornton, he would have been in the right lane The girl was on the left side of the road when she was struck The report notes the man failed to stay in his lane Neighbors have filed two applications asking Farragut officials to conduct a traffic study Residents wonder if speed humps or other measures could slow down drivers especially those who use the residential side streets to avoid heavy traffic near the campus that's home to three Knox County Schools at the intersection of Kingston Pike and Concord Road Neighbors told Knox News cars had run them off the road as they walked and that Hughlan Drive is a major cut-through road as drivers go between Kingston Pike and Concord Road Residents have begun placing neon green signs in their yards urging drivers to "SLOW DOWN: KIDS AND PETS AT PLAY." The neighborhood announced plans to meet with Farragut Alderman Drew Burnette and a town planner at 6 p.m 11 at Concord United Methodist to discuss traffic in the neighborhood Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.