How to contact me: beth.dalbey@patch.com
Beth Dalbey, a longtime award-winning community journalist, is Patch’s national editor. She has been with Patch since 2011 when she launched sites in Iowa and provided national Iowa Caucus and swing-state general election coverage. She worked as a regional manager before moving to the national desk in 2017. Throughout her time at Patch, she has reported and written about local topics of national interest and is currently focusing on exclusive Patch content, including Block Talk, an only-on-Patch neighborhood etiquette column for which readers supply advice.
Dalbey and the newspapers she has edited have earned numerous awards for news, feature and government coverage, editorial and column writing, and overall general excellence from the Iowa Newspaper Association, the National Newspaper Association and the Associated Press Media Editors. In 1992 in Iowa, she led the weekly Dallas County News to win the INA's prestigious Newspaper of the Year award, competing against metro newspapers many times its size. She was the youngest recipient ever of the INA’s Distinguished Service Award in 1994. At Patch, she received the Todd Richissin Award for Excellence in Reporting and Writing for the “Menace of Bullies” project.
In Iowa, Dalbey’s byline has also appeared in the Fairfield Daily Ledger, where she was editor for five years; and in the Des Moines Business Record, Cityview, dsm magazine and other publications under the umbrella of Business Publications Corp., where she was the editorial director for several years. Dalbey also freelanced for the Des Moines Register and other print and digital publications
Dalbey grew up in Missouri and majored in journalism at Northwest Missouri State University. Except for a three-year stint as communications editor for a scientific institute doing ape language research, she has spent her entire career in community journalism. At the former Great Ape Trust of Iowa, she wrote about the world-famous resident bonobos Kanzi and Panbanisha.
Should green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberry sauce and stuffing stay on the Thanksgiving dinner table, or should they be banished?
![Thanksgiving Side Dishes: What Should Stay, What Should Go? [Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/790386/20241114/113900/styles/patch_image/public/patch-stock-thanksgiving-meal-bayard-4___14113512719.jpg)
Target, Walmart, Aldi, Costco and other stores knock back prices on Thanksgiving meal baskets to make a traditional feast more affordable.
Ranging from high-end steakhouses requiring reservations to fast-food drive-thrus, these places will cook for you on Thanksgiving.
The Leonids are legendry for impressive fireballs with persistent streaks that meteor experts say could peek through the bright moonlight.
The last of four consecutive supermoons that began in August, the November full moon is also known as the beaver moon.
It’s tradition in many neighborhoods to wait until Thanksgiving to turn on holiday lights, but the Christmas season is short this year.
![Is It Too Soon To Put Up Holiday Lights? [Block Talk Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20241108/021841/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1029370951___08141727292.jpg)
Thousands of cars and various types of cheese are among the recently recalled products across the U.S. See the full list here:
Veterans Day, formerly called Armistice Day, is always observed on Nov. 11, the date of the 1918 agreement to end World War I.
One cook burned up the kitchen. Another can’t unsee a guest gnawing on a 20-pound turkey carcass. Mashed potatoes are harder than you think.
These national chains offer an assortment of free meals and other deals in a Veterans Day salute to veterans and members of the military.
The gig economy flourished during the pandemic, changing the tipping culture in America; let’s walk that back, readers overwhelmingly say.
![Tipping Culture Is Over The Top, Readers Say In Survey [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20241101/045159/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-2531924249___01165019807.jpg)
The saga of the Bed-Stuy pop-up fishpond has ended swimmingly. Some people are marrying their AI sweethearts. Do baked potatoes scurry?
A perfect Thanksgiving where every dish is a five-star hit and the fire department doesn’t have to come by can be a high bar to clear.
![What Was Your Biggest Thanksgiving Fail Or Flop? [Patch Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20241031/032441/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1875071062___31151620536.jpg)
We asked readers if it’s time to adopt permanent daylight savings or standard time, or if we should keep changing our clocks twice a year.
![As DST Ends, Is It Time To Ditch Twice-A-Year Clock Changes? [Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20241030/074831/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-2263581729___30194311241.jpg)
November temperatures are expected to be above normal in most parts of the country, with the nation's midsection heating up the most.
The Taurids are the only shooting star show with meteors from two debris streams. November’s is the last of four consecutive supermoons.
Cases of “walking pneumonia” have increased among all age groups since March, but especially in young children ages 2-4.
“Beetlejuice,” “Inside Out” and “Deadpool” were prominent in Google searches for Halloween costume ideas. So was a Chipotle burrito.
A seismic shift in how Americans make a living changed the culture of tipping, and now workers at every turn seem to expect a fat gratuity.
![Has The Tipping Culture Hit A Tipping Point? [Block Talk Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20241025/022907/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-2328873613___25142650128.jpg)
Several fast-food chains join McDonald’s in altering the menus after E. coli was found in onions; massive waffle recall expands.
