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.
Jody Rohlena and Cedric Smith got engaged on Leap Day 2020. They decided it was time — after they’d already started planning their wedding.
Twinkling lights year-round make some people happy. Others are over it. When it comes to blow-up displays, “just nope,” several readers say.
![Turn Off The Christmas Lights; It’s Past Time, People [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/790386/20240202/120213/styles/patch_image/public/flat-santa___02120054492.jpg)
Foam in some popular Philips ventilators broke loose, resulting in a massive recall and 561 deaths, the FDA said. Here’s how to get paid.
Ed Coonce’s Feb. 29 birthday passed without notice in foster homes and, later, a rescue home for abused, neglected and abandoned kids.
With less moisture in the atmosphere, stars sparkle more in the winter. February also has a new moon, a neat celestial trio and a micromoon.
A passenger busted open an emergency door and took a walk on the plane’s wing to protest a long tarmac delay. Do you empathize?
![You’re Stuck On The Tarmac For Hours. What Do You Do? [Flightmares]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/ap/790386/20240131/054341/styles/patch_image/public/ap23011556122578___31174114492.jpg)
In time for Valentine’s Day, OpenTable has released its 2024 list of the 100 most romantic restaurants in the country. But reserve now.
The 2024 Back History Month observance throughout February celebrates “African Americans and the Arts.”
Rates for other sexually transmitted diseasesl were either down — 9 percent for gonorrhea — or flat, according to a new CDC report Tuesday.
Historic schools on a three-building parcel a blank slate. Also featured are a church and a warehouse, each transformed into luxury condos.
A warehouse has a second life as a luxury condo, and a National Register of Historic Places-listed school is a blank slate.
The character and charm of this American Trio Loft are highlighted by 19-foot ceilings accented with decorative tin panels.
This year, the credit is based on income, filing status, the number of children — and if Congress acts, it could go up for tax year 2023.
When will it start to feel like spring? The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts it will arrive early, and some areas could see above-normal rain.
Take a peek at some of the oddest news making headlines this week.
People lose it over Stanley cups at Target; orcas intrigue; a thrift store vase is full of human remains; it’s going to get weird in 2024.
You may think there’s no harm in extending the magic of the holidays with your twinkling lights, but your neighbors may be over them.
![When Should Outdoor Christmas Lights Be Turned Off? [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/790386/20240126/102309/styles/patch_image/public/patch-ed-arlington-holiday-lights-ma-fisher-2___26102105926.jpg)
Readers are largely less confident in aircraft safety after the mid-flight door blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner.
![Boeing Door Blowout Causes Turbulence Among Passengers [Flightmares]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/ap/790386/20240125/082410/styles/patch_image/public/ap24025783589708___25201926780.jpg)
Let’s hope that in the frenzy to get a Stanley limited edition Lunar New Year cup, people behave better than during the last cup rollout.
According to lore, the January full moon got its name because wolves howl in hunger at this time of year. But there is more to the story.
