Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People From Small Towns Divulge Their Biggest Current Local Scandals

People From Small Towns Divulge Their Biggest Current Local Scandals

There is anonymity in privacy, which is why I'm a big fan of living in a large city (and am perfectly okay with it remaining that way). It's easy to keep people out of your business when you're surrounded by millions of other people.

That's not true in small towns, where even the most innocuous personal drama can be distorted. So when scandals happen (and trust that they do) they tend to captivate the local imagination in ways not seen in big cities.

People told us all about the latest drama in their neck of the woods after Redditor Pessimistic_Soviet asked the online community,

"Those of you who live in small towns, what is the current local controversy all about?"

"Dogs are now getting sick..."

"Thousands of crabs washed ashore dead but nobody really knows why; I think they blamed wind turbines at one point. Dogs are now getting really sick and there are warnings for people to stay away from the beach but nobody knows why it’s happening."

MariahCareyButt

It sounds like algae toxins, which wouldn't surprise me.

"The problem with that is..."

"While fleeing another hit and run, and possible DUI, some dude tried to go full speed directly thru the middle of our town square. The problem with that is we have a big historic fountain there. Traffic is usually supposed to swerve arround the fountain, he did not."

"This dude in a white SUV ramps into our fountain, and smashes into the center pillar. Thankfully the fountain was off for the winter, so there was less damage, but they still have no clue how, and how much money it's gonna take to fix this mess."

"The car was removed, but the fountain is still wrapped up in its tarp a month later. There's security cam footage of the ramp and its all anyone could talk about for a few weeks."

raven_1313

It sounds like that fountain is the town's pride and joy so it makes sense that everyone is a bit bent out of shape about it.

"A woman knows..."

"A woman known as a pretty awful person disappeared. 'Everyone' knows it was probably her husband, but the family owns over 10,000 acres and no body has been found. The rest of her family is ramping up an awareness campaign so should be interesting to see where this all goes."

Ordo501

I expect the Lifetime movie to drop any day now.

"A guy wanted to bury his parents..."

"A guy wanted to bury his parents on their (parents’) slightly rural, totally out of the way, virtually-no-neighbors property, but the village said no way. We don’t do that here. We’re classy."

"So he went to the state for permission to build a funeral home/crematorium instead, and he built a giant mausoleum with both their caskets right on the corner of the property where everyone and their grandma can see it when they drive by!"

"And he has zero plans to actually turn this into a functioning business. It’s about half done, no landscaping, and construction vehicles parked all over the place. Gotta hand it to him!"

Axel0812

Okay, this is petty (and brilliant) as all hell and I am LIVING for it.

"A couple promised..."

"A couple promised a lot of cakes and fancy breads to the local festival and didn't deliver. Everyone has been mad at them for the last two weeks."

ChangeWinter4443

I mean... wouldn't you be? We're talking about cakes AND fancy breads here.

"The girl's volleyball coach..."

"Town of about 1800. The girl's volleyball coach got a DWI. The school's principal went to pick her up from jail, and was arrested for DWI himself. Somehow it got out that these two (both married) were having an affair."

stickshaker73

In a small town how did they think they'd be able to keep any of that secret?

"Two places..."

"Two places make dill dip. One accused the other of stealing the recipe."

duckswithbanjos

This is the sort of drama that I can see being developed into an award-winning indie film.

"People here..."

"People here in my town of 396 are still upset that the local Christmas tree was taken down and thrown away with all the lights still on it."

Onlykitten

I mean... I get it. Sounds like a total waste.

"The woman who just got elected..."

"The woman who just got elected mayor owns most of the property downtown, and all the open seats on city council went to her employees. Can’t wait to see the corruption in action."

Blanchypants

Ha, how convenient. I wonder what her explanation for this was. Probably nothing satisfactory.

"Swans..."

"Swans in the local rivers/lakes have been dying from avian flu and we’ve all been warned to keep our dogs away from sick or dead swans in case infection spreads to humans."

allywillow

Need I remind you that we are in the middle of a global pandemic so I hope people do manage to keep their dogs away, just to be on the safe side!

There's something to be said about small towns – they somehow never fail to entertain us with all their drama.

It's fun to hear about it – definitely not as fun to live it.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

The Merkel Family
GoFundMe

Minneapolis Radio Station Stunned After School Shooting Victim's Dad Calls In With Poignant Request

People in the Minneapolis area, and many across the country, are still reeling following the August 27, 2025 mass shooting at the Annunciation Church Catholic school in the city.

For most of us, though, it's just a news story. For the families of the two children slain in the school shooting, it's an unimaginable loss.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joseph Schnitt
O'Keefe Media Group

DOJ Scrambles After Staffer Admits On Video That 'Every Republican' Will Be Redacted From Epstein Files

A Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Chief, Joseph Schnitt, was recently caught on hidden camera making statements about the disposition of files related to the DOJ's investigation, indictment, arrest, and plans to indict convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The files would have become part of official court documents had Epstein not died in the custody of the DOJ in August 2019, during the first term of MAGA Republican President—and longtime Epstein friend—Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tucker Carlson; Pete Buttigieg
The Tucker Carlson Show; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson Slammed Over Bonkers Plan To Out Pete Buttigieg As A 'Fake Gay Guy'

Far-right personality Tucker Carlson was criticized for sharing a wild conspiracy theory that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is actually faking his sexuality for clout within the Democratic Party and announced plans to out him.

Buttigieg has been openly gay for years and is happily married to educator and activist Chasten Buttigieg; they are also parents to two young children. But Carlson nonetheless accused Buttigieg of being a “fake gay guy" during a conversation about President Donald Trump's anti-diversity initiatives with fellow conservative commentator Michael Knowles.

Keep ReadingShow less
A late night shot of the capitol building.
Photo by Michael on Unsplash

People Expose Things That Have Clearly Been Proven To Be A Government Cover-Up

The government is a mess.

Can we really trust anything they say?

Keep ReadingShow less
Channing Tatum
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Channing Tatum's 65lb Weight Loss Toll

Heads up, dearest readers: this article includes discussion of weight loss, body image, and extreme dieting for film roles.

While promoting his upcoming movie The Roofman, Channing Tatum revealed the physical and emotional toll of losing 65 pounds for the role. The film dramatizes the bizarre true story of Jeffrey Manchester, a real-life fugitive who became infamous for drilling into McDonald’s rooftops to rob them—and, in one of his more surreal stunts, hiding out inside Toys “R” Us stores.

Keep ReadingShow less