Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole's planned appearance at a Martin Luther King Day event in Statesville on Monday is, in most senses, a routine political stop.

It is also a sign that times have changed in Jesse Helms' old territory.

Helms, a Raleigh Republican, left the seat that Dole now holds in 2002. During his 30 years in office, Helms was known for his dislike of King.

In 1983, Helms led a filibuster against creating a federal holiday in honor of the slain civil rights leader's birthday. And he rarely missed an opportunity to criticize King. His most frequent accusation was that King had mistresses.

Helms maintained his position on King until retirement, when he said that King "caused more trouble than good he ever did."

Helms voted in 1982 against extension of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark law that opened the polls to millions of African-Americans.

And in 1991, Helms was one of only five senators to vote against a major civil rights bill backed by then-President Bush and aimed at preventing job discrimination against minorities.

"Senator No," as Helms was known, certainly wouldn't have been caught dead at the event where Dole will be speaking Monday: a prayer breakfast for King put on by, among other groups, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a group called Standing Together Against Racism.

"I don't think she thinks at all about what her predecessor would have done," Dole spokesman Brian Nick said this week. "It's important to her to be the senator for everyone."

Nick pointed out that Dole's husband, former Sen. Bob Dole, supported the bill that made King's birthday a holiday.

Helms did not respond to requests for comment.

Chambers in the news

The latest on former Durham Police Chief Teresa Chambers, who is now the embattled chief of the National Park Police, appeared this week in The Washington Post's "The Reliable Source."

The newspaper obtained documents showing that on Sept. 11, 2003, the two-year anniversary of the terrorist attack, the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General set out to test the effectiveness of the park police -- and the force failed miserably.

According to the Post, the feds left a suspicious-looking black plastic bag near the base of the Washington Monument for 35 minutes. For nearly half that time, it was sitting near a security checkpoint where tourists line up to enter the landmark.

Not only did the Park Police not notice the bag, but also the lone officer in the vicinity appeared to be sleeping in an unmarked car, the Post reported.

Chambers, who is on leave while her dismissal is processed, is under a gag order. The National Park Service said last month it intends to fire her after she complained about underfunding of the 620-member force, whose primary responsibility is to protect the National Mall and its monuments.

Etheridge celebration

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, will hold a breakfast Thursday with public safety workers to celebrate passage of his Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefit Act.

The bill will extend federal survivor benefits to families of firefighters, police officers and emergency workers who die of heart attacks or strokes in the line of duty.

The breakfast is at 9 a.m. at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Those interested in attending should call (888) 262-6202.