A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

Wednesday's vote by South Carolina's House of Representatives to move the Confederate flag from atop the state capitol building means the plan – already approved by the state Senate – is likely to take affect, even though black lawmakers remain firmly opposed to it. In addition, the NAACP said the measure does not meet the standards necessary for the organization to lift its tourism boycott of the state.

Only three African American House members voted for the compromise plan, which calls for the flag to be placed on a flagpole near a Confederate soldier's monument, still on Statehouse grounds. The House also made some controversial amendments to the Senate's bill, including a provision to raise the height of the display pole from 20 to 30 feet and to illuminate the flag at night.

"It's sad news on a bad day." State Rep. Rep. Charlie Sharpe (R), a staunch flag supporter disappointed that the vote to move the flag came on the state's first observance of Confederate Memorial Day. (The State, Columbia, S.C. May 11)

• NAACP Vows to Continue Boycott
(The Greenville Times, May 10)
• Why Vote Won't End Flag Furor
(The State, Columbia, S.C., May 11)
• S.C. House Votes to Move Flag, 63-56
(The State, Columbia, S.C., May 11)
• Details: What the House Bill Says
(Spartanburg Herald-Journal, May 11)
• Timeline: Summary of Recent Events
(The Greenville Times, May 10)
• Roll Call: How the House Members Voted
(Spartanburg Herald-Journal, May 11)

The amendments to the bill drew a mixed reaction from state senators, who now get the proposal back to concur, amend or reject the House changes.
• Senators Watch, Wait for Plan to Return to Them
(The Greenville Times, May 11)

Black lawmakers who took an uncompromising stance to the bill before them crippled the chances of House Democrats to put forth a viable alternative to the bill that few party members wanted to support.
• Unity Eludes Democrats Trying to Plan Strategy
(The Greenville Times, May 11)

The Wednesday vote fell on South Carolina's newly established Confederate Memorial holiday, a day in which demonstrators burned Confederate and Nazi flags at the state capitol and vandals defaced the Confederate Soldier's Monument.
• Protesters Burn Flags at Capitol
(The State, Columbia, S.C., May 11)

N.J. Senate Candidate's Deep Pockets Are Paying Off
Spending more than $1 million week to blanket New Jersey with television spots, Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Corzine's constant barrage of negative ads against his June 6 primary opponent, former governor Jim Florio, looks to be paying off. An independent poll released Wednesday shows Corzine has overcome Florio's early lead in the campaign to replace retiring Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D).
• Corzine Pulling Ahead of Florio in Latest Senate Poll
(The Record, Bergen, N.J., May 11)
• Corzine Gains After TV Ads Assailing Florio
(The New York Times, May 11; registration required)

S.F. Mayor's Name Surfaces in Newspaper Scandal
A former federal judge will lead an inquiry into court testimony given last week by the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner who said he offered Mayor Willie Brown favorable editorial coverage during Brown's 1999 reelection campaign in exchange for the mayor dropping his opposition to a merger between the Examiner and rival San Francisco Chronicle.
• Ex-Judge to Lead Hearst Probe Into Testimony Furor
(San Francisco Chronicle, May 11)
• Study Finds Subtle Shift in Examiner Editorials After Brown Lunch
(San Francisco Chronicle, May 11)