Byrd Released from Hospital

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has been released from the hospital after a two-day stay, his office tells The Associated Press.

A fall at home prompted his latest trip to the hospital, where tests detected signs of an oncoming infection.

"Byrd's office said Thursday he will continue receiving antibiotics and recuperating at home before returning to Congress for the debate on health care legislation," the article said.

They Voted For You: Jobless Benefits

West Virginia's U.S. House delegation -- Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st; Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd; and Nick Rahall, D-3rd -- all voted for the "Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009."

The legislation "approves the extra three months of benefits for those jobless living in 27 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with unemployment rates topping 8.5 percent," The Associated Press reports.

Those states include West Virginia, which reported a seasonally adjusted rate of 9 percent in August.

The bill passed 331-83. "The job market appears to be the last to recover from a recession that officially began in December 2007," the AP article said. "Jobless benefits have already been extended to record lengths through federal intervention."

Byrd Falls at Home (Updated)

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was taken to a hospital for evaluation Tuesday morning after falling at his Beltway residence, The Associated Press reports.

"Spokesman Jesse Jacobs says the 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat apparently stood up too fast and fell and that his caregiver called an ambulance 'out of an abundance of caution,'" the article said. "He said that Byrd is being examined but that at this point there is no indication that he will be admitted."

AP also notes the frail health of history's longest-serving U.S. senator, and his recent return to work after an extended illness.

Update: Byrd has been hospitalized, AP reports. "Blood tests showed his white-blood cell count was high, which raised the possibility of an early-stage infection," the article said.

O'Connor Takes Her Seat on W.Va. Judicial Study Panel

Retired U.S. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in Morgantown today as honorary chairwoman of the West Virginia's Independent Commission on Judicial Reform.

The Associated Press set the stage for the group's latest meeting, and is covering. The meeting focuses on methods that states employ to select their judges and justices.