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Church Gives to Hinds Dem Hopeful Willie Robinson: Legal?
By R.L. NaveReligious organizations are generally not allowed to donate to politicians, but often find clever ways to skirt the Internal Revenue Service prohibitions.
One way is just for the pastor and key church officials to personally make big contributions, and encourage their flock to do the same, to support candidates who share their values. Another is to allow candidates to speak to congregants directly, which lets the politician associate himself or herself with that particular house of worship.
Both are gray areas.
It's quite another thing, though, for a church to give directly to a political candidate. That's what appears to be happening in the case of Hinds County Democratic hopeful Willie Earl Robinson. Campaign finance reports show that Hill of Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bolton made a donation of $500 to Robinson's campaign.
Robinson's challenger in the Hinds County District 2 race, Darrel McQuirter, is a pastor. The name of his church -- Pleasant Green Baptist Church -- does not appear on his finance reports, but McQuirter and his wife personally contributed more than $7,000 to the campaign coffers.
Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, charitable organizations (in fact, all corporations) are prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections. This is not a federal election. However, the IRS code, which applies to all organizations that have tax-exempt status, states: "(A)ll section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office."
A Guidestar.com search of 501c3 nonprofits as well as a search of charities through the Mississippi Secretary of State yielded no results for a Hill of Zion M.B. Church in Bolton.
An attempt to reach the church by phone this morning was not successful.
http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/oct/08/14003/
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Community Events and Public Meetings
Tonight, the History of Beer Dinner is at 6 p.m. at Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint.
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10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
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Despite Big Backers, Robinson Mum on Hinds 2 Race
One might expect Willie Earl Robinson to be riding high and ready to shout from the rooftops after landing several big endorsements in the Hinds County Democratic primary for District …
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Jackson Officials Back Robinson, Link McQuirter to GOP
Local officials expressed their full-throated supported for Hinds County District 2 contender Willie Robinson of Bolton.
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Hinds Dems Throw Down Tomorrow
By R.L. Nave4 Democrats
2 Seats.
The Hinds Count Democratic Party is preparing for what it's billing as a showdown for the District 2 and District 4 races tomorrow night at Metrocenter.
Here's a the full release:
JACKSON-On the evening of Thursday, October 3 at 6:00 PM at Center Court at the Metrocenter Mall, the Hinds County Democratic Party and Metrocenter Mall will host a public forum for the Democratic runoff candidates in supervisor districts two and four to appear and answer questions from a panel and from the public. The event is free and open to all.
In Supervisor District Two, Darrell McQuirter and Willie Earl Robinson will be the two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the runoff on October 8. In Supervisor District Four, the October 8 runoff will feature James “Lap” Baker and Michael Maldonado, due to the withdrawal of the September 24 second place finisher Jerry Hopkins.
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Hinds County Supervisor's Battle: Round 2
The fields have narrowed—somewhat—and only a few contenders remain for two seats on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.
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David Archie Sues for New Election
David Archie, the third-place finisher in last week's Democratic primary for Hinds County's District 2 seat, wants a new election and is suing his own party to get it.
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Jerry Hopkins Drops out of Hinds 4 Race, Maldonado Takes Runoff Spot
By R.L. NaveTwo days after a first-place finish in the Democratic primary for Hinds County District 4 supervisor, Jerry Hopkins has bowed out of the race.
On Tuesday, Hopkins edged out James "Lap" Baker, 353 votes to Baker's 316, setting up an Oct. 8 runoff.
This afternoon, Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee chairwoman Jacqueline Amos-Norris told the Jackson Free Press that Hopkins dropped out of the race because "he looked at the numbers" and didn't like his chances.
As a result, third-place finisher Mike Maldonado, who got 160 votes, will face Baker in the runoff. The winner of that race will face Republican Tony Greer in the November general election.
In District 2, Darrel McQuirter will square off against Willie Earl Robinson in a Democratic runoff Oct. 8. Both men are department heads for Hinds County. McQuirter oversees planning and zoning, Robinson the county's central repair division.
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Jackson: ‘Elephant’ in State Budget Room
When a fire broke out at the Hinds County Armory, located on state property, the Jackson Fire Department put it out. Nevertheless, Jackson is unlikely to benefit from state budget …
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Democratic Runoffs Likely in Supervisor Races
By RonniMottThe official results aren't available, yet, but it looks like its runoffs for the Democrats.
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Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Killing'
Same old, same old conservative response—reduce the size of government regardless of what the issue is.
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Analysis: Road Effort Needs Business Support
Efforts to raise money to repair and build highways just don't have the broad push that lifted a major highway program to passage in the Legislature a generation ago.
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Business Groups Cool to Raising Taxes for Roads
Business groups still aren't ready to raise Mississippi's taxes to repair and build highways and bridges.
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Follow the Jug
The owners and managers of Fondren Public worked a long time to make the bar a hotspot for a unique blend of young professionals and Fondren locals, and it paid …
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One Step Forward ...
The city of Jackson is re-issuing a request for proposals for a long-awaited downtown convention-center hotel, just two months after unveiling an agreement with a developer to build one.
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Follow the Jug: Fondren Public Opening Sept. 2
If you see the hashtag #followthejug floating around social media, it means something sure to make beer lovers salivate is coming.