A Rash of Political Sign Thefts in Homewood
Supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones in Homewood have taken to social media to complain about a wave of campaign signs stolen from their yards around the city.
Homewood resident Felicia Noraeger put up a sign supporting Jones in her yard last month. After about two weeks, it disappeared. Noraeger says not long after she got another one, it was in her yard no more than a day or two before it, too, went missing.
She’s now on her third sign. Noraeger says she knows about 10 other Jones supporters who have had signs stolen, sometimes multiple times. Posts on social media suggest there may be dozens of such incidents citywide. One supporter got tired of replacing signs and put up a handwritten one that said: “You can steal my sign but you can’t steal my vote. #DougJones”
Others have posted their signs on the inside of their windows. One person suggested coating the signs in Vaseline and glitter, at the very least to annoy the thieves.
Noraeger says she’s had political yard signs in past elections that were never stolen. While she’d rather not speculate on what’s behind these recent thefts, she says it seems politically motivated. “Other signs around the community that might be supporting local events, races, you know, non-political signs are not being removed,” Noraeger says.
Noraeger says she thought about contacting police, but felt police had better things to do than go after missing signs. A spokesman from the Homewood Police Department says the department has received four reports of stolen signs in the last week, although those reports don’t specify a candidate.
Lindsay Warren
Some Homewood residents have resorted to posting their signs in the window to avoid thefts.
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones announces run for Alabama governor
Jones announced his campaign Monday afternoon, hours after filing campaign paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office. His gubernatorial bid could set up a rematch with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Republican who defeated Jones in 2020 and is now running for governor.
Scorching Saturdays: The rising heat threat inside football stadiums
Excessive heat and more frequent medical incidents in Southern college football stadiums could be a warning sign for universities across the country.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor to join our award-winning team covering important regional stories across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Judge orders new Alabama Senate map after ruling found racial gerrymandering
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, issued the ruling Monday putting a new court-selected map in place for the 2026 and 2030 elections.
Construction on Meta’s largest data center brings 600% crash spike, chaos to rural Louisiana
An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays and dangerous roads in Holly Ridge.
Bessemer City Council approves rezoning for a massive data center, dividing a community
After the Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to rezone nearly 700 acres of agricultural land for the “hyperscale” server farm, a dissenting council member said city officials who signed non-disclosure agreements weren’t being transparent with citizens.
