AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
A daily look at some of The News & Observer’s headlines on Aug. 23 in past years.
Read more Morgan Housel warns of a looming career threat for your child
In 2001, Republican U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms announced that he would retire from elected office rather than running for another Senate term the following year.
The longtime North Carolina politician gave an eight-minute speech at the WRAL television studio in Raleigh, which was broadcast on CNN and C-SPAN, about his decision to conclude his 30-year political career. He referenced his age, noting that if he served another term he would be 88 when he finished it. Helms started his first term in the Senate in January 1973.
Helms, a controversial conservative, was known for strongly opposing abortion, championing school prayer, cutting funding for art he didn’t like, and advocating for tobacco growers. He said he and his wife, Dot, planned to spend time with their children and grandchildren, and “continue as private citizens to be helpful to the great people of North Carolina.”
Read more Walmart’s Beauty Event Is Officially Here! Shop Our Top Picks for Skincare, Makeup and More
Helms’ August news left Republicans scrambling for a candidate to replace him.
The N&O’s politics column, Under the Dome, reported that national Republicans had chosen Charlotte as one of five Southern cities to hold high-priced fundraisers for President Richard Nixon, who was running for reelection in 1972. The fundraiser dinner cost $500 a plate.
In 1926, Gov. A.W. McLean returned to work after three weeks of vacation in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin. Work that had been on pause during McLean’s time off included a State Board of Education meeting where members planned to discuss the discrepancy in the costs of school books in North Carolina and Tennessee. McLean was scheduled to give a speech in Wrightsville Beach on his first day back.
Read more Macy’s Summer Sale Is in Full Swing! Save up to 80% on Clothes, Accessories, Beauty and More