WV Allocates $5M To Establish Catholic Think Tank

The Parkersburg News-Sentinel reports:

The West Virginia Water Development Authority approved giving $5 million to an Ohio-based Catholic-affiliated career and vocational college to expand into the state and to create a conservative think tank without a required recommendation from one of three state officials.

The Water Development Authority (WDA) unanimously approved providing $5 million in Economic Enhancement Grant Fund (EEGF) dollars to the College of St. Joseph the Worker, a Steubenville-based college affiliated with the Catholic Church.

The funds will need to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026. “I’m thrilled about this project for our people in the Northern Panhandle, especially for our young men and women,” said Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, in an email on Dec. 23.

Read the full article. There’s much more. McGeehan [photo] appeared here earlier this month when he was among the state GOP reps allegedly targeted with death threats by a just-elected fellow Republican.

WV officials approved a $5 million grant for an out-of-state Catholic school and its plans to push anti-abortion and other political measures, taking taxpayer dollars typically used for water and wastewater projects and potentially violating state law: https://t.co/p3nVDuhM9X

— Mike Tony (@Mike__Tony) December 28, 2024

Do you memba when Pat McGeehan said he was a libertarian? I memba. Now, he’s using a slush fund of taxpayer dollars to pay an out of state school to create a think tank to influence the government. I’m sure he has convinced himself that his ends justify his means, though. https://t.co/c5oFj8Wvm7

— Emmett Pepper (@EmmettPepperWV) December 29, 2024

West Virginia State Rep. Pat McGheehan fallen ill due to drinking unpasteurized milk after helping pass a law that legalized raw milk. (2016) pic.twitter.com/qARkmRuvZk

— crazy ass moments in american politics (@ampol_moment) March 25, 2022