News round-up

On February 28th of 2021, Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors declared the honorees of the Hometown Heroes. The honorees of 2021 were Carolyn Smith and John Bonner. Smith and Bonner both lived in Dinwiddie County and they were applauded for their dedication to the community. The establishment of Hometown Heroes began in 2015 as a way to honor Black History Month. 

Carolyn Smith was the first African American woman deputy in the history of Dinwiddie County. During her time as a deputy, she became interested in civil process division and she eventually achieved the status of a Sergeant of the Civil Process division in 2008.  On the other hand, John Bonner was applauded for his contributions to the agriculture industry. He also served in the army for 26 years, worked as an ammunition technician at Fort Lee and worked security at Fort Pickett. He also has workshops on farming and wants to inspire Black farmers to also pursue an interest in farming.

In Tennessee, Dolly Parton politely rejects a bill to be passed that would allow the construction of a statue of her at the Tennessee Capitol. The bill was introduced by State representative John Mark Windle, and was eventually passed by the state house committee as of February 9th. The bill was established to eradicate Confederate statues and replace it with people who deserve the title. Dolly issued out a statement declaring she is humbled and honored but she does not believe it is an appropriate time for her to be put on a pedestal. During the outbreak of coronavirus, Dolly Parton contributed $1 million toward coronavirus efforts. She also helped fund research for the COVID vaccine. Despite her funding toward coronavirus efforts, she humbly denies the bill to be passed.

In Iran, there is local law declaring that a husband can decide whether or not he wants to allow his wife to travel outside the country or bar their travels. Samira Zargari is a coach for Iran’s Alpine ski team and her team was traveling to the International Ski Federation to participate in their world championship. Zargari’s husband was born within the United States and holds citizenships in both the US and Iran. Her husband of five years asked for divorce due to the fact that he is now in a relationship with Samira’s best friend and Samira said no. Due to her denial of the divorce, he blocked her travel. This did not stop her from keeping in contact with her athletes in between races over the phone and coaching remotely. In distress and desperation, Zargari reached out to the International Ski Federation seeking help, but their response was that although they sympathize with her situation, they are not in a position to dispute a country’s national law. 

https://www.nbc12.com/2021/02/27/dinwiddie-county-announces-hometown-heroes/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/entertainment/dolly-parton-turns-down-statue-trnd/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/iran-skier-womens-rights-91a82f9a38a271eabc6abdd270720a17