Mississippi News

Funeral service for Lusia “Lucy” Harris set for Feb. 5

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2022

Funeral service for Lusia “Lucy” Harris set for Feb. 5

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today
February 1, 2022

Delta State University has announced funeral arrangements for Lusia “Lucy” Harris Stewart, the basketball legend who led the university to three consecutive national championships and became the first Black woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. in the Walter Sillers Coliseum at Delta State University. Visitation will be held the day prior from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bethesda Five Points Center in Greenwood.

Harris, a native of Minter City, Miss., was the only Black woman on Delta State's Lady Statesmen when she led the team to its first national title in 1975. A year later, the 6-foot-3 center scored the first basket in Olympic womens' basketball history at the Montreal Games.

“Now that's a record that'll never be broken,” Harris said in “The Queen of Basketball,” a 2021 documentary about her life.

There was no WNBA league when Harris graduated from Delta State in 1977, so she married her high school sweetheart, George Stewart. She turned down an offer to play with the New Orleans Jazz and took a job coaching basketball at Amanda Elzy High School in Greenwood, where she had learned to play the game.

“Lucy was truly the first superstar of the women's game,” Langston Rogers, the Delta State sports information director in the 1970s, told Mississippi Today's Rick Cleveland. “She just dominated. Nobody could dominate a game like Lucy could.”

Harris passed away at age 66 on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in a therapy facility in Mound Bayou.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Post Views: 700

Mississippi News

Jackson will host National Folk Festival for three years

Published

5 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Jaylon Anderson – 2024-05-21 17:16:02

SUMMARY: Jackson, Mississippi, has been selected as the host city for the National Folk Festival from 2025 to 2027, outshining 42 other cities in the nation. This prestigious event is the longest-running traditional arts festival in the U.S., featuring a free, three-day, outdoor celebration of music, dance, and traditional arts. Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba expressed excitement about the honor, highlighting Mississippi's rich musical heritage. The festival is expected to attract over 330,000 visitors, generating more than $60 million in economic impact. Held in November, the festival will feature multiple stages, a dance pavilion, traditional crafts, diverse foods, and folklore activities.

Read the full article

The post Jackson will host National Folk Festival for three years appeared first on www.wjtv.com

Post Views: 9

Mississippi News

Court upholds conviction of man sentenced in Jackson rapper’s death

Published

6 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-05-21 16:53:30

SUMMARY: The Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld Antoine Carr's conviction and life sentence for the first-degree murder of Jackson rapper Lonnie Taylor, known as Lil Lonnie. Carr's appeal, which claimed prosecutorial misconduct, was rejected, with the court finding no reversible error. The conviction stems from an April 2018 shooting where Taylor was found shot in a vehicle. Carr, along with Monya Davis and Marshun Carr, were arrested in Texas. Davis also received a life sentence, which he unsuccessfully appealed, while Marshun Carr was sentenced to 18 years. The shooting took place on April 19, 2018, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Read the full article

The post Court upholds conviction of man sentenced in Jackson rapper's death appeared first on www.wjtv.com

Post Views: 16

Mississippi News

East Webster baseball rallies to defeat West Marion in game one of 3A championship

Published

6 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wcbi.com – Grace Ybarra – 2024-05-21 16:43:19

SUMMARY: East Webster baseball triumphed over West Marion 12-6 in game one of the 3A championship series. Despite falling behind 6-3 after a tough fourth inning, East Webster rallied with nine unanswered runs for the win. Wolverines' head coach Blake Hutchison attributed the victory to a team effort and noted their strong response to adversity. With this win, East Webster remains undefeated in the playoffs and is now one win away from securing their fourth state title. They will play game two at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Read the full article

The post East Webster baseball rallies to defeat West Marion in game one of 3A championship appeared first on www.wcbi.com

Post Views: 8