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.
This clothing-optional biking event draws attention to dependence on oil, but also promotes healthy body images, according to organizers.
Considered the Oscars of the culinary industry, the James Beard Awards celebrate America’s best chefs and restaurants.
The Southwest, which typically sees its hottest weather in June, is starting on a cool note. The opposite is true in northern-tier states.
More Black CEOS lead Fortune 500 companies than ever; “it’s shameful to say that there are still only eight,” Fortune editor-in-chief says.
The theme of the U.S. Postal Service’s National Dog Bite Awareness Week is “even good dogs have bad days.”
Chemical companies say a flurry of legislation is too broad and could jeopardize access to important products, including medical devices.
Proud “dork” makes White Castle’s Cravers Hall of Fame; iconic barn saved; humble mail hauler says “any human being would do the same.”
Human metapneumovirus or HMPV, has many of the same symptoms as RSV, influenza and COVID-19, according to the CDC
Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, is fiery red and often confused with Mars. It is literally running out of gas.
Good neighbors don’t get up in other people’s business but will clean up the blood if you cut yourself and have to go to the hospital.
![Good Neighbors Send Wine And Own It If They Break Stuff [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/getty/790386/20230601/013405/styles/patch_image/public/gettyimages-1221676427___01132823551.jpg)
A round house in Florida survived Hurricane Ian. In a star-studded California enclave, guests walk in circles. In Illinois, plan to hunt.
The United States leads the world, and Florida leads the country in the number of shark attacks. Most are provoked, according to data.
Nice! Ground beef costs about the same as last year on National Hamburger Day. But if patties are made of beef, why is “ham” in the name?
The number of licensed boats soared during the pandemic — along with injuries and deaths of the water, according to U.S. Coast Guard data.
Summer can be a dangerous time of the year, but it doesn’t have to be.
When you fly Old Glory on Memorial Day to honor military personnel who lost their lives serving their country, special protocols apply.
Flipping our last Block Talk question, what are the traits of a good neighbor who doesn’t ruin the quality of life of everyone else?
![You Asked For It. What Are The Traits Of A Good Neighbor? [Block Talk]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/getty/790386/20230525/062428/styles/patch_image/public/gettyimages-1132833149___25182208624.jpg)
Born wild, Ali was sold to Michael Jackson, who donated him to the Jacksonville Zoo. He is recovering from surgery for an infected tusk.
Risking fines and prison, the former owners of these historic homes for sale now helped enslaved African Americans reach freedom in Canada.
Spongy moth caterpillars are feeding on trees in many parts of the country. If you see them, you should take steps to control their spread.
