"M" is for Morning News

"M" is for Morning News. A morning newspaper published daily and Sunday in Florence, the Morning News was established as a daily in 1922. Jack O’Dowd, the publisher’s son, became editor in 1951 for a short-lived stay. A moderate on racial issues, he endorsed the U.S. Supreme Court’s desegregation decision, angered Klansmen and other conservatives; and was forced to flee the state. After the publisher died in 1970, a committee and then a board of directors ran the newspaper. In 1981, the Morning News was sold to Thomson Newspapers. In 1995 the newspaper moved to a new facility on Dargan Street. A year later the publisher and editor added the phrase “Voice of the Pee Dee” to the newspaper’s name to underscore its regional scope. Media General, Inc. purchased the Morning news in 2000.