The Daily Digest: On commish pay, old is new again

Good morning! Here are five political stories worth following today.

1) Commissioner pay

It's Round 567 of the commissioner pay debate. Yesterday, Gov. Mark Dayton said he would raise commissioner pay by Wednesday, the last day he has the opportunity to do so before that authority goes back to legislators. Republicans in the House and Senate are using the opportunity to hone their campaign 2016 talking points on the issue. (MPR News)

2) PolyMet mining

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Environmentalists are pressuring Dayton to demand changes to PolyMet Mining's plans. It will be interesting to see how Dayton, who has aligned himself with environmental groups in many instances this year, will respond. For their part, the groups are emphasizing water quality - a key issue for Dayton's second term. (MPR News)

3) Student testing

Minnesota students will face fewer tests after the Legislature slashed the education system's testing budget. (MPR News)

4) Sweet vs. sweet

Sweet revenge. The sugar industry is under attack from the corn syrup industry, which wants to dismantle government sugar supports. The battle will have implications for Minnesota's sugar beet industry. (The Star Tribune)

5) More SCOTUS

There are still critical decisions coming out of the Supreme Court this week. The most recent centers on Arizona's independent redistricting commission, which the court deemed constitutional. The decision has some wondering whether gerrymandering will become a thing of the past. (NPR)