Gov. Dayton recovering from surgery

Gov. Mark Dayton is awake and recovering from spinal surgery Thursday, his staff reports.

Surgeons at the Mayo Clinic operated on the 65-year-old governor's lower back to repair a painful condition known as stenosis.

"Governor Dayton is now out of surgery and awake," spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci said in a brief statement. "Dr. Jeremy Fogelson, the surgeon who performed the procedure, reports that the surgery went as planned, without any complications to report."

The governor is scheduled to be released from the hospital on Monday but will likely be sidelined for the next several weeks, just as the Legislature prepares to head back to work for its new session. He plans to work from the Governor's Residence as he recuperates.