Out of the thousands of stories published on Scrippsnews.com in 2023, these 10 were the most-clicked articles of the year. Here is a look back at what was trending:
1. Thousands of tarantulas will soon be crawling across this state
Every year in August and September in Southeast Colorado, male tarantulas leave their burrows in masses and begin searching for a mate. The region is home to thousands of the creepy crawlers.
The annual event is often mistaken as a migration because the spiders are more visible than normal and appear to be walking to a desired destination. That desired destination, in this case, is a female tarantula's burrow, so the pair can breed.
2. How to turn off Wi-Fi calling on Android to combat hackers
In March, Google’s Project Zero team said it discovered numerous security flaws with Samsung Galaxy smartphones that could allow hackers to target devices easily. All a hacker would need is the victim’s phone number, which can be used to compromise the phone without the user knowing anything is wrong. At the time, Google encouraged users to turn off Wi-Fi calling to prevent the hack. It has since been fixed in a software update.
3. 670 stations to offer gas for $1.99 per gallon Thanksgiving weekend
Who doesn't like cheap gas? For a one-week period around Thanksgiving, mid-Atlantic chain Sheetz offered gallons of its unleaded 88 gas for $1.99. At the time, the gas was more than $1 cheaper per gallon than average. The promotion proved to be quite popular as Google searches for "Sheetz" nearly tripled during the week of Thanksgiving.
4. Man wins Powerball and keeps promise to give winnings to stepdaughter
In July, an Arkansas woman received a winning Powerball lottery ticket as a gift from her stepfather and ended up with a $200,000 prize. Cally Krisell's ticket matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball number, resulting in the prize. Had she matched just one more number, she would have won $900 million.
5. There is a new No. 1 side dish this Thanksgiving
Campbell's conducted a study asking Americans what is their favorite Thanksgiving side dish. In 2023, more Americans surveyed said mashed potatoes is their favorite Thanksgiving side dish, displacing dressing or stuffing at No. 1. Macaroni and cheese climbed the rankings to No. 3 in 2023.
6. Permitless Carry goes into effect for Florida residents
Beginning on July 1, Florida residents no longer were required to have a license in order to carry a concealed firearm. Firearms are still prohibited in many places across Florida, including schools, colleges, universities, bars and courthouses.
7. After 187 years, treaty serving Indigenous people honored
Scripps News highlighted efforts to add a Congressional delegate to represent the Cherokee Nation. In 2022, Congress held a first-ever hearing on the subject, but steps stalled in 2023 after Republicans took over the House.
SEE MORE: Looking back at the biggest headlines of 2023
8. Why Americans are denied Social Security, disability support
There's a range of criteria for Americans to get Social Security and disability benefits, but some are denied because of an outdated index of jobs, Scripps News reported in March. The Social Security Administration considers whether a person can work a hypothetical job in the economy despite their disability, and that's where many experts and disability advocates report issues.
9. Viewers complain about Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Federal Communications Commission fielded more than 100 complaints from viewers who alleged the Super Bowl Halftime Show featuring pop star Rihanna was inappropriate for network television. The 13-minute high-flying performance featured 12 of Rihanna's songs and dozens of backup dancers. Complaints ranged from Rihanna's dance moves and gestures to her outfit.
10. Florida family bound for Europe kicked off flight by United Airlines
A Florida family was already seated on a United Airlines flight from Tampa to Chicago, eventually bound for Amsterdam via Lufthansa, when they were told to leave the flight. The family purchased the airline tickets through a wholesale website that was restricted from selling United Airlines tickets.
Lufthansa refunded the cost of the original tickets and United gave them four $150 vouchers for future use, but the family was disappointed they were not made whole as they missed a tour of Amsterdam and lost $500 in nonrefundable plane tickets to Portugal.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com
