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.
Senders seek to boost sales with fake reviews in the recipient’s name . Consumers can keep the packages at no obligation to pay for them.
Pharmacy chains cite an outdated business model among the pressures contributing to a wave of drugstore closings.
Fireworks injuries are down from pandemic years, but Independence Day is still one of the most dangerous holidays of the year.
A rare hoodwinker sunfish that washed up on Oregon’s north coast drew curious onlookers, and a Goodwill store discovered a snake’s hot take.
![Is This The World’s Ugliest Dog? [Weird News & Oddities]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/ap/790386/20240628/013209/styles/patch_image/public/ap24159632893005-1___28132453692.jpg)
Not everyone in the neighborhood shares the same passion for landscaping, but what do you do about the eyesore next door?
![Neighbor’s Yard Is Weedy, Stinky Mess. What To Do? [Block Talk Survey]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20240627/051538/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-419581768___27171429333.jpg)
Maryland is full of historical sites, but also has breathtaking geological formations and other natural areas begging to be explored.
Auto dealers are going old school and writing up orders with a pen and paper after a cyberattack on a widely-used software program.
Meteor showers and supermoons are more predictable than summer skywatching events such as a nova explosion and northern lights displays.
The hardest-hit states are starting to see some relief from sweltering temperatures that resulted in “extremely high” emergency room visits.
Some readers threw shade on the “shopping cart theory,” which says people who don’t return them are of questionable moral character.
![If You Don’t Return A Shopping Cart Are You A Total Jerk? [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20240621/040441/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-532210126___21160210812.jpg)
These products have recently been recalled for safety and health concerns:
Not everyone, nor every living creature, love neighhborhood fireworks displays. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Patriotism isn’t just flag-waving. True patriotism is measured by military service, volunteer service and voting, according to a new study.
The permissive atmosphere around fireworks regulation isn’t universal. Some jurisdictions in states where they’re legal have forbidden them.
Driving the Jersey shore is the quintessential New Jersey road trip. Get off the beaten path to see Paterson’s magnificent waterfall.
The discovery of the invasive pest in an art shipment from New York to California highlights the value of quarantines to stop its spread.
Because the sun reaches its highest point in the sky with the solstice, the full moon will appear lower in the sky and look bigger.
Home insurance rates increasd 11.3 percent last year. Housing industry leaders are asking Congress to launch an inquiry into why.
More kids find blue-eyed periodical cicadas. Three bears settle in family’s home. And a dog leaves grooming appointment higher than a kite.
Dads sometimes rely on clichés to impart valuable lessons, Patch readers say as they share their favorite memories with their fathers.
