W.Va. to Pay $500k to Settle Pinecrest Case

The state's insurer has agreed to pay $500,000 to "11 people testing positive for tuberculosis while either working at or visiting Pinecrest Hospital, or treated there as a patient," The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

The article cites how recent GOP gubernatorial nominee and former state Sen. Russ Weeks, of Raleigh County, "first blew the whistle" on conditions at the state-run hospital blamed for the infections.

"Weeks has been demanding an inquiry the past four years, maintaining 'a massive cover-up' was keeping the lid on a number of illegal practices at Pinecrest, ranging from bookkeeping to mistreatment of patients," the article said.