Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, is back at work in the Legislature, after missing two days for surgery for peripheral artery disease in her legs. The procedure was a follow-up to more major surgery she had in October for the disease, which if left untreated would have left her unable to walk more than a block without resting. "It wasn't elective, because I actually asked the surgeons if I could wait until the session was over - they said no," Ringo said. "It definitely wasn't a choice." While Ringo was gone, Moscow economist Judith Brown filled in as her substitute.

The condition is unrelated to the thyroid cancer that Ringo was diagnosed with a year ago; she had her thyroid removed in December of 2008, well before the start of that year's legislative session, and has been fine since. "I haven't had any recurrence," she said. Ringo said she chose to have the major vascular procedure in October, and then required three follow-up procedures; this week's was the final one. "I'm finished now and glad I did it," she said, and she's not suffering any pain. "I'm ready to go."