A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

On a day ripe with historical context, the South Carolina state Senate debated and passed a compromise bill that would remove the controversial Confederate flag from atop the capitol building and place it near a war memorial. The action is a significant move forward in a debate that has loomed large over the legislative session and put South Carolina in the national spotlight. After a final procedural vote, the bill moves to the House of Representatives today. Approved exactly 139 years after the firing of the first shots of the Civil War, the measure also removes the flag from the House and Senate chambers.

"Our flag got abused. It got taken by politicians and used for racial causes. It got taken by hate groups and used for their causes. But that's not the long-term legacy of that flag." Republican Sen. Glenn McConnell, a strong defender of the flag, during the floor debate on the flag's removal from the Statehouse. (The State, Apr. 13)

• Flag Bill Wins Support of Both Parties
(The State, Columbia, S.C., Apr. 13)
• Bill Would Place Banner Near Statue
(Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Apr. 13)
• Quotes and Reaction from the Debate
(The State, Columbia, S.C., Apr. 13)

In the South Carolina House, lawmakers finally agreed to pass a bill that would make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a state holiday. Currently, South Carolina is the only state to not officially observe King's birthday. Gov. Jim Hodges has agreed to sign the bill, which also creates a Confederate Memorial Day.
• MLK Holiday Easily Passes S.C. House
(The Post & Courier, Charleston, S.C., Apr. 13)
• S.C. House Vote Creates a Confederate and MLK Holiday
(The State, Columbia, S.C., Apr. 13)

Mass. Senate Passes 'Big Dig' Bailout Plan
After days of drama and upheaval over the future of Massachusetts's massive underground highway project, the state Senate approved Wednesday a $2 billion bailout plan to cover the cost overruns of the Big Dig. Gov. Paul Celluci, anxious to move past the negative headlines of late, embraced the Senate plan even though legislative leaders took the opportunity to criticize Celluci's desire for a tax cut.
• Cellucci Applauds Senate's Big Dig Plan
(Boston Globe, Apr. 13)
• Senate Announces Big Dig Bailout Plan
(Union-News, Springfield, Mass., Apr. 13)

Meantime, former project chief James J. Kerasiotes – who will receive a handsome severance package worth about $200,000 – is not the only "Big Dig" official being removed from the operation.
• Ousted Big Dig Boss to Get $200G
(Boston Herald, Apr. 13)

New Hampshire House Moves Toward Impeachment
New Hampshire's House of Representatives today will consider impeaching the chief justice of the state Supreme Court – and possibly two other judges – in relation to possible ethics violations that already resulted in the resignation of Justice Stephen Thayer last week.
• Impeachment Inquiry Vote Scheduled for Today
(Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H., Apr. 13)
• Chief Justice Digs in for Big Vote
(Concord Monitor, Apr. 13)
• House to Vote on Judges’ Fate
(The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., Apr. 13)

New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) on Wednesday nominated a woman to replace Thayer – a first for New Hampshire – before saying that any judge under an impeachment inquiry should step down from the bench during the investigation.
• Shaheen Says Justices Should Step Aside During Investigation
(Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H., Apr. 13)

Nebraska Senate Candidate Ends Campaign, Blames Media
Citing a newspaper story that detailed his past marriages, financial problems and business practices, Nebraska Senate hopeful George Grogan abruptly dropped out of the crowded race for the GOP nomination Wednesday, saying he and his family had suffered "irreparable harm."
• Grogan Quits Senate Race
(Omaha World-Herald, Apr. 13)
• Grogan Drops Out of Race
(The Lincoln Journal Star, Apr. 13)