LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is easing back into public activities after his recent lung surgery sidelined him for part of the August congressional break. The Kentucky Republican is scheduled to give a speech Tuesday at a chamber of commerce luncheon in southern Kentucky. It marks his first public appearance since part of his lung was removed at a Tennessee hospital. The senator says the surgery stemmed from injuries suffered when a neighbor tackled him while he was doing yard work at his Kentucky home in late 2017. Initially, most of Paul’s August travel plans were canceled due to the operation more than a week ago at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. But his recovery has progressed faster than expected, allowing him to go to Williamsburg for Tuesday’s chamber event. His schedule will be scaled back considerably from what had been planned before the surgery. Paul has a handful of events planned in the next two weeks. By the time he returns to Washington in September, he says, he shouldn’t have any limitations.