Finance

Spanberger taps Del. Sickles to be Secretary of Finance

Published

8 months ago

December 23, 2025

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Spanberger taps Del. Sickles to be Secretary of Finance

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by Brandon Jarvis

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger has tapped Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, to serve as her Secretary of Finance.

Sickles has been in the House of Delegates for 22 years and is the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

“As the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Delegate Sickles has years of experience working with both Democrats and Republicans to pass commonsense budgets that have offered tax relief for families and helped Virginia’s economy grow,” Spanberger said in a statement Tuesday.

Sickles has been a House budget negotiator since 2018.

Del. Mark Sickles.

“We need to make sure every tax dollar is employed to its greatest effect for hard-working Virginians to keep tuition low, to build more affordable housing, to ensure teachers are properly rewarded for their work, and to make quality healthcare available and affordable for everyone,” Sickles said in a statement. “The Finance Secretariat must be a team player in helping Virginia’s government to perform to its greatest potential.”

Sickles is the third member of the House that Spanberger has selected to serve in her administration. Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, was tapped to serve as the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, was named Secretary of Historic and Natural Resources.

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Finance

Moss Point CTE Center ranks number 1 in state for business, marketing and finance

Published

5 hours ago

August 14, 2026

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Moss Point CTE Center ranks number 1 in state for business, marketing and finance

MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) — The Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center is celebrating a major accomplishment.

The Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center is celebrating a major accomplishment.(wlox)

The Mississippi Department of Education has ranked the center’s Business, Marketing and Finance program No. 1 in the state.

The class only started in 2023, but after just three years, it’s now at the top of Mississippi’s Business, Marketing and Finance programs.

Students and teachers in the Business, Marketing and Finance class said they’re excited and proud to be part of a No. 1 program.

“It’s awesome that, you know, I got to participate in the number one business class in the state. And it’s wonderful. We don’t really get that much light down here and, you know, it’s great that we’re finally getting, you know, some light shinned down on us,” student Aaron Luquette said.

“It’s no words that can describe the feeling of just being proud of your community and just proud of your students. And so it’s a great feeling. This is what all teachers live for. They live for this. They live for the moment when their students are excelling. And that’s why you teach is because you see the potential in every student that walks into your classroom,” teacher Mercye Ranles said.

Students and teachers in the Business, Marketing and Finance class said they’re excited and... — Students and teachers in the Business, Marketing and Finance class said they’re excited and proud to be part of a No. 1 program.(wlox)

The district says the recognition reflects years of hard work, high expectations and strong instruction in a CTE program that’s been in Moss Point since 1979.

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Finance

Nigel Farage Documentary ‘Where Does the Money Come From?’ Set at U.K. Broadcaster 5 as Parliamentary Standards Watchdog Reopens Finance Probe

Published

17 hours ago

August 14, 2026

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Nigel Farage Documentary ‘Where Does the Money Come From?’ Set at U.K. Broadcaster 5 as Parliamentary Standards Watchdog Reopens Finance Probe

ITN Productions has set “Nigel Farage: Where Does the Money Come From?,” a one-hour documentary examining the Reform U.K. leader’s finances, to air on 5, part of the Paramount Skydance Corporation, on Aug. 22.

The documentary comes amid continuing scrutiny of Farage’s finances, following the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s investigation into gifts made to him and the Aug. 13 Clacton by-election that the sitting MP triggered by resigning his seat and standing again.

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The documentary will examine the donors, companies and payments that ITN said have reportedly brought Farage more than £2 million ($2.7 million) in outside income since he entered Parliament in 2024, along with earnings from broadcasting, after-dinner speaking and reported property interests. A cast of expert contributors will weigh in on reported payments, donations and gifts tied to two crypto financiers, alongside the parliamentary and media scrutiny of Farage’s finances.

Jeremy Daldry, deputy head of U.K. factual at ITN Productions, said Farage’s political reach has the potential to have a huge impact on the nation, adding that the standards commissioner’s investigation makes it the perfect time to unpack the story.

“Topical, reactive documentaries are part of our DNA here at 5, and the questions around Farage’s finances really matter to our viewers,” added Federico Ruiz, commissioning editor at 5. “We dig deep into the publicly available information to examine the facts.”

Farage announced on July 7 that he would give up his Clacton seat and stand again, framing the vote as a chance for his own constituents to judge him rather than “the establishment.” His resignation, formalized the next day, froze the standards commissioner’s inquiry into a £5 million ($6.7 million) gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that Farage had not declared. With the Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore Britain political parties all boycotting the contest, Farage’s most prominent challenger was Count Binface, a novelty candidate campaigning in a dustbin costume, part of a record field of 34 candidates.

Farage won on Aug. 13 with 22,239 votes to Binface’s 9,455, and the standards investigation resumed within hours of his re-election, since such inquiries can only continue while their subject holds a Commons seat. If the commissioner finds Farage breached the MPs’ code of conduct, the case would go to the Committee on Standards, which could recommend sanctions ranging from an apology to a Commons suspension – a suspension of 10 sitting days or more can trigger a recall petition and, if signed by enough constituents, a fresh by-election in the seat.

Farage is not the only senior Reform U.K. figure facing scrutiny. Deputy leader Richard Tice is under a separate standards investigation, opened in early August, over an alleged failure to declare a paid-for trip when speaking in a Commons debate. Robert Jenrick, who defected to Reform U.K. earlier this year, has also been referred to the standards commissioner by the Conservatives, while the Electoral Commission and police have separately been investigating donations linked to his 2024 Conservative leadership campaign.

ITN Productions is the independent producer within newsmakers ITN, known for premium documentaries responding to major world events, including recent 5 titles “Air India Disaster: The Unanswered Questions” and “The Beckhams’ Billions: How Did They Get So Rich?” “Nigel Farage: Where Does the Money Come From?” is executive produced by Daldry, with Katie Harris and Chris Price-Morgan as producer/directors, Rusen Boztas as production manager and Laura Straker as production coordinator. Post-production was handled in-house at ITN Post.

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