Check out some of these amazing photos submitted by KSAT Connect users in 2023.

Massive eels. Adorable baby meerkats. Nosey wildhogs. Texas had an interesting year when it came to stories about animals and wildlife.

From deadly dog attacks to the drought and remorseless summer heat, San Antonio saw its share of sad, scary and frustrating news events in 2023.

Public safety and the well-being of loved ones were two issues of great importance in the San Antonio community in 2023 and the driving forces behind much of the reporting from KSAT Investigates this year.

Here’s a countdown of the 10 most popular stories from our page this year.

2023 was another not-so-busy year, with regards to weather. But, we did see a few events that folks won't soon forget.

As we near the end of 2023, the KSAT Explains team compiled some of the topics that got the most views this year. Now you can watch them all here in one place.

Big Red-flavored beer is coming soon to San Antonio, thanks to one local breweryThe brewery says it's the most "quintessentially Texas beer San Antonio didn't know they had." Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Saturday, June 27, 20202. Texas Zombie Safari lets you shoot zombies with paintballs from response vehiclesIt's an interactive zombie hunt and it's only open in Texas in October. Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Tuesday, April 28, 202019. Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Sunday, September 20, 202020.

SAN ANTONIO – 2020 was the year that changed our lives and brought the world to a standstill. Go behind the scenes to meet some of the storytellers of KSAT — photojournalists, producers, editors, engineers, anchors, reporters, meteorologists, assignments crew and digital journalists. And don’t forget the run-in with lightning that KSAT meteorologist Justin Horne and photojournalist Bill Caldera experienced while covering Hurricane Lara. This KSAT special explains the approach and challenges some of the station’s journalists experience when putting together stories and why they love what they do. Watch “2020 Through The Eyes of KSAT” on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Monday, December 28, 2020Below are links to some stories referenced in the special:

To date, the Defenders have done more than 50 stories detailing failures and possible lawbreaking during Barrientes Vela’s time in office. It was the third time in two years that McManus gave information on fatal shootings by SAPD officers that was later refuted. The suspect SAPD officers were actually looking for, Darren Smith Jr., has never been charged for the domestic violence incident. This June 2020 investigation took a look at a little-known practice of cities charging drivers involved in accidents fees for the response by fire departments. Following this Defenders investigation, the deputies involved in the incident were placed on administrative duty.

But inspired by controversial, emotional, human and cultural stories, KSAT Explains was born. For each episode, the KSAT Explains team picks one topic and goes exploring. In episode 12 of KSAT Explains, we examine the current battle over the Alazan Apache Courts, their impact and the future. In episode 13 of KSAT Explains, meteorologists Kaiti Blake and Sarah Spivey explain why the answer to that question is nuanced. In episode 16 of KSAT Explains, we take a look at the history, the culture and the evolution of Mexican candy.

Visitors, some wearing masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19, ride a river barge along the River Walk, Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in San Antonio. In 2020, KSAT partnered with Bexar Facts and the San Antonio Report for a quarterly nonpartisan poll, which gauged the opinions of registered Bexar County voters on a wide variety of topics. Around that same time, San Antonio had become a COVID-19 hotspot, sparking a summer surge that lasted into August. Greg Abbott fell significantly among Bexar County voters. Of those polled in September, 70% approved of San Antonio Police Chief William McManus and 60% approved of Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.

The following are the top 5 searched recipes on Google this year in the United States:No. Disney released the recipe to its Disneyland app users, and Dole released its recipe online. The Dole recipe has a few more ingredients than the Disney version, but both look delicious! 3: Disney churroThe Disney churro recipe is another favorite that made the top 5 most searched recipes in the United States after the company made it public. 1 searched recipe in the United States on Google this year.

As if the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t enough for us to handle, with all things considered, 2020 has been one of the most unpredictable, unfathomable, and just downright bizarre years on record. It’s hard to say what 2021 will have in store, but for now, we’re taking a look back at some of the weirdest moments of 2020. As many as 1.5 million cicadas were expected to swarm parts of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) (NASA/JPL-Caltech)What better way to cap off 2020 than look to the sky and witness something not seen in almost 800 years. Read also:2020 in photos: AP images capture chaos, sorrow amid pandemic, protests, catastrophesGone too soon: Celebrities who died in 2020

Blue dragons showed up on Texas beaches this year, along with a mysterious creature that officials at Padre Island National Seashore couldn’t quite identify. Beautiful but dangerous blue dragons discovered on Texas beach are ‘rare find’Aye there be dragons at the beach - but not the scale-covered kind from fairy tales of old. Nope, these are blue glaucaus, a type of nudibranch or sea slug and officials at Padre Island National Seashore called them a “rare find.”3. Once in a lifetime opportunity lest you drive through the San Antonio ZooFor the first time in history, guests were able to drive through the San Antonio Zoo in a motor vehicle. Man captures heart-stopping video of San Antonio Thunderbirds flyover from top of 500-foot towerWatching the Thunderbirds fly over San Antonio was cool but this guy got to watch it from 500-feet in the air.

SAN ANTONIO – As we put the finishing touches on 2020, it’s time to take a look back at some of the year’s biggest moments - including, some of the biggest local weather events! However, it’s also worth looking back at the year through the lens of climate. Related: The difference between weather and climateIn the video above, Meteorologist Kaiti Blake explains what effect 2020 has had on some of our local climate records. For more climate-related stories and information, head over to our KSAT Climate page. Let us know what climate questions you have in the prompt below.

SAN ANTONIO – This was a year unlike any other. To read more about all the fun and exciting things that are going on in and out of the classroom, head to KSAT’s kid-friendly zone, KSAT Kids. A 7-year-old boy in San Antonio has spent his time in quarantine helping other children learn math by way of a YouTube channel. A new book is catching the attention of Selena fans, especially those in the San Antonio area. When asked if the findings has convinced her to follow her mom’s advice, Sohn said, “Yeah, unfortunately.”Do you know someone who would benefit from KSAT Kids?

Google - it’s a search engine that has, over time, turned into a verb. The tech giant has provided some insight into the “trillions of searches, questions, news, people, causes, places and events that shaped this year,” including some of the top trending searches in San Antonio. The top trending Google searches in Texas for 2020 are:Election results 2020 Coronavirus Kobe Bryant Who is winning the election Coronavirus update Coronavirus symptoms Zoom Hurricane Laura Naya Rivera Chadwick BosemanBoth Chadwick Boseman, 43, and Naya Rivera, 33, who made both trending search lists, died this past year. “How to” searches were up due to people staying home and quarantining due to the pandemic. For a more detailed list of what was trending in 2020 in a given country, click here.

Here’s a look at the KSAT Weather Team’s list of the top 5 weather events of 2020:Number 5In June, a far away visitor that really seemed to capture the imagination of South Texans was the Saharan dust cloud. There was hope that hot weather might help keep COVID-19 at bay, but cases ramped up again in July. While weather may play a small role in how COVID-19 spreads, hot, dry weather did not seem to have much effect. A record number of named storms and a record number of landfalling storms were recorded in 2020. Three of the named storms brought impacts to Texas.

McKibbin, a singer from Texas best known for her third place finish in the first season of "American Idol," died Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Scottish actor Sean Connery, best known for his role as secret agent James Bond, died Oct. 31 at the age of 90. Eddie Van HalenFILE - David Lee Roth, left, and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform on Aug. 13, 2015, in Wantagh, N.Y. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. His representative says Boseman died Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 in Los Angeles after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Cordero died Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots.

SAN ANTONIO – A lot of this year’s scams focused on the coronavirus pandemic, from fake cures and treatments to fake charities. We saw shortages of products at stores and searched the web for in-demand items. ----------During the pandemic, the FTC also saw fake COVID-19 cures and treatments, as well as phony testing sites. Keep these tips in mind when searching online for cures, treatments or testing sites:No treatments have been proven to prevent COVID-19. If an online seller asks you to pay with a gift card, cash or money transfer, the transaction is a scam.

Best of the city party | SA Live | KSAT 12Published: April 17, 2020, 12:14 pmSA Magazine holds a "Best of" competition each year, so come celebrate with the winners that you chose on March 13