Virginia
West Virginia cracks down on major banks over environmental activism
The State of West Virginia banned four major financial institutions from entering into tens of billions of dollars worth of state contracts over their environmental policies.
West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore added Citigroup, TD Bank, HSBC and The Northern Trust Company – banks which collectively oversee assets worth trillions of dollars – to his state’s Restricted Financial Institution List after he determined they are actively engaged in a boycott of the fossil fuel industry.
The action was taken in accordance with a 2022 law the state’s legislature passed to fight back against the sustainable investing movement.
“We are absolutely going to stand by our industries here in fossil fuels,” Moore told FOX Business. “Last year, the world burned more coal than any time in human history. The consumption of coal is not going down. That is a myth that is proliferated by the climate-activist left. So, why would we put ourselves in a position to not be part of that?”
West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office
Overall, the Investment and Banking Services Division of the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office managed $22 billion in banking transactions last year.
The four institutions Moore listed on Monday, in addition to the existing banks listed, will be barred from the opportunity to bid on those transactions in the future.
According to Moore’s office, the banks were added to the Restricted Financial Institution List following an extensive review of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies.
The ESG movement, which has picked up steam in recent years, broadly calls for investments to be pulled from traditional energy industries and diverted to green energy industries in the fight against global warming.
In accordance with state law, Moore issued notices in late February to Citigroup, TD Bank, HSBC and The Northern Trust Company, warning that they would be listed unless they altered their ESG strategy or demonstrated they are not boycotting the fossil fuel industry.
Two other banks, BMO Bank and Fifth Third Bank, were also warned at the time, but they have since shown their investment strategy doesn’t boycott traditional energy companies.
“I applaud both of these institutions for working with us in a cooperative way to ensure the free market remains free and our state’s critical industries are treated fairly,” said Moore.
Moore’s announcement Monday represents a new front in West Virginia’s war on the ESG movement.
While his office previously reviewed and listed banks currently engaged in business with the state, he recently expanded the scope of his ongoing review of the banking sector to include institutions not currently authorized to do business with the state.
The four banks listed join BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo & Co., which remain on the Restricted Financial Institution List.
Moore published his first list in July 2022 after West Virginia enacted the Restricted Financial Institution List law, which he had proposed.
That law empowers the West Virginia Office of the State Treasurer to list financial institutions that have publicly stated they will refuse, terminate or limit doing business with coal, oil or natural gas companies “without a reasonable business purpose.”
The banks Moore has already listed, though, have pushed back, arguing they do not boycott the fossil fuel industry.
For example, BlackRock noted in its 2022 response to Moore that it is among the largest investors in energy companies, with about $286 billion in assets invested in those companies globally.
“Northern Trust does not restrict or prohibit investment in fossil fuel-based energy companies,” a Northern Trust spokesperson said in a statement, noting its $52 billion investment exposure to the traditional energy sector and services offered for managing oil, gas and other fossil fuels for clients.
“We seek to work with – not boycott – energy companies,” an HSBC spokesperson added. “Our policies anticipate that we will continue to provide corporate lending and capital markets transaction support to energy-based customers to both maintain supplies as well as support an orderly and just transition that helps with the creation of new jobs. We are supportive of energy companies throughout the U.S., whom we are pleased to have as clients.”
Citigroup and TD Bank did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“SFOF has highlighted again and again how ESG investments are a losing proposition,” said Derek Kreifels, the CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, a group that has rallied states to push back against the ESG movement.
“By adding another four banks to its restricted financial institution list, West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore is continuing to lead the charge in the fight against ESG,” Kreifels continued. “I applaud Treasurer Moore for standing up against ESG activism. He has our full support.”
The Virginia Cavaliers continue to thrill as they’re moving on to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament!
UVA is the first double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16 in the women’s bracket since 2022, and it’s the Cavaliers’ first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2000.
After a fourth quarter surge to push overtime, the No. 10 Cavaliers took over in double overtime, stunning No. 2 Iowa with a 83-75 win. It was a group effort on the floor, but the Cavs were led by Kymora Johnson with 28 points.
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After advancing to the Sweet 16, the Cavaliers will face No. 3 TCU in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, March 28.
Knowing that matchup is set, here is everything you need to know to buy Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 March Madness tickets.
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Virginia vs. TCU March Madness Sweet 16 tickets
Virginia women’s March Madness Sweet 16 opponent
Virginia reached the Sweet 16 after upsetting No. 2 Iowa on Monday afternoon. Now, they’ll play No. 3 TCU in the Sweet 16.
Virginia vs. TCU women’s March Madness Sweet 16 schedule
Virginia will take on the TCU Horned Frogs after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday afternoon. The game will be played on either Friday, March 27 or Saturday, March 28. Shop Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 tickets now.
More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament
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UVA women’s basketball Sweet 16 game locations
Virginia will play its Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., against TCU on Saturday, March 28. Shop your Virginia NCAA Tournament tickets now.
When is March Madness 2026?
The First Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament tipped off the 2026 March Madness tournament on Wednesday, March 18. The two rounds run between Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Friday, April 3 and the National Championship game on Sunday, April 5.
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March Madness 2026 full schedule for the women’s tournament
- March 20-21: First round
- March 22-23: Second round
- March 27-28: Sweet 16
- March 29-30: Elite 8
- April 3: Final Four
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PHILADELPHIA − Maybe all those blown leads in the regular season were good for Tennessee basketball?
While it didn’t surrender a double-digit big lead, Tennessee fans certainly felt pangs of anxiety when Virginia pulled ahead late at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
This time, though, instead of collapsing, the No. 6 Vols (24-11) banded together and pulled off the 79-72 victory over No. 3 Virginia (30-6) in the Men’s NCAA Tournament on March 22.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes guided the program to its fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The road gets tougher for the Vols against No. 2 Iowa State (29-7) at the United Center in Chicago on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).
How did Tennessee avoid a meltdown? Well, Barnes isn’t really sure.
He just knows they won.
“We found a way,” he said. “We found a way to get it done. These guys, they’ve worked hard for us all year and worked hard competing against each other every day.”
Tennessee believe it needed regular season heartbreak
Tennessee largely bottled up Virginia’s leading scorer Thijs De Ridder through much of the game. However, the 23-year-old freshman from Belgium found his rhythm late in the game and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 71-70 lead with 2:03 remaining.
In the huddle, Tennessee sophomore guard Bishop Boswell knew they’d be fine. He cited increased “poise” gained from months of SEC trials.
“We have been in these situations time in and time out, and I’ve seen us come out on top, so I know how tough we are,” he said. “Being in those situations helps you for times like this. The SEC is so tough, its such a tough league, you’re going to be in a bunch of close games. We were able to come out with some wins, and we were able to come out with some losses that we were able to learn from.
“We’ve been battled-tested.”
Forward J.P. Estrella believes those tests were necessary.
“I don’t think so,” he said if Tennessee would’ve won this game a month ago. “I feel like these past couple months have been huge for us playing some tough games, playing in the SEC Tournament, playing the game the other night. These games are crucial for us. When we keep playing basketball with each other it builds confidence and we keep winning.
“The momentum keeps going and I feel like it’s going to keep on rolling into Chicago.”
Tennessee’s defense papers over late mistakes
The Vols were anything but mistake-free in the closing minutes of the game.
Freshman Nate Ament ran the baseline after a missed shot. Senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie threw an inbounds pass into the second row. A defensive breakdown left Virginia’s Jacari White wide-open for a 3-pointer with seconds remaining.
It was the defense, though, that kept Tennessee afloat. The Vols kept one of the ACC’s top offenses under its 80.4 points per game average. Their frontcourt physicality bothered Virginia all game.
“I thought we played great,” Estrella said about Tennessee’s frontcourt. “We’re all just some dogs on offense and defense. We got stops when we needed them. I feel like we could’ve gotten a couple rebounds − me in particular, I could’ve grabbed a couple with two hands − but other than that, we were just some dogs tonight and I feel like we need to be that every single night.”
The Cavaliers had 26 points in the paint, but they shot under 50% on layups. Tennessee 6-foot-11 center Felix Okpara registered four blocks and often deterred Virginia players from entering his domain.
“Felix Okpara, that’s the best five-man in the country,” junior Jaylen Carey said about his teammate. “Best shot blocker in the country.”
Okpara credited the entire frontcourt for the standout defensive performance.
“That’s our identity right there,” he said. “That’s Tennessee basketball right there.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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Virginia Haines James, age 85, of Vidalia, who’s sunrise was October 13, 1940 and sunset was Friday, March 20, 2026, at Appling Healthcare in Baxley after an extended illness. She as a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. Vernon and was a 1958 graduate of Montgomery County High School. She married her married her husband in 1958, he was in the Army, and as a military family they lived in several places, including Okinawa, Japan, France, and Germany. Upon his retirement, they moved to Vidalia where she lived the rest of her life. She joined the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church on December 14, 1951 and later was a member of the First Baptist Church of Vidalia and where she sang in the choir. She was Bethany Home Administrator for more than twenty years. She enjoyed sewing, the outdoors, yard work, gospel music, singing, collecting ladybugs, genealogy, and traveling to cemeteries all over south Georgia. She loved buying Bibles and giving them to her family and friends.
She is preceded in death by the love of her life, Roscoe James; parents, William Elijah Haines and Mary Elizabeth Byrd Haines; one brother, William Haines; and two sisters, Sarah Haines Bishop and Ann Haines.
She is survived by two children, Roscoe David James and wife Lorie of Baxley, and Virginia Beth James Smith of Wilmington Island; four grandchildren, Jessica James and Drew James of the Center Community, Levi James (USN) of Charleston, South Carolina, and Connor Smith and wife Hannah of Rincon; one brother, James “Jimmy” Haines and wife Daisy of Treutlen County; one sister, Naomi Jean Haines Duckworth and husband Bruce of Mt. Vernon; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, at 3:00 in the chapel of Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home with her nephew, Pastor Daniel Caraway officiating. Interment will follow at the Long Pond Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday afternoon from 2:00 until just prior to the service.
Flowers are accepted, or those desiring can help continue her legacy by donating to The Gideons International, PO Box 156, Vidalia, GA 30475.
The family would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to the nurses and staff of Appling Nursing and Rehab Pavilion for their loving care and support.
Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home of Vidalia is in charge of arrangements.
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to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Virginia (Haines) James, please visit our floral store.
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