How to contact me: deb.belt@patch.com.
Deb Belt has been an editor and team leader with Patch.com since August 2011, and regional manager of the Southeast team since 2017. After launching Patches in Iowa -- where staffers covered the 2012 Iowa Caucuses and the presidential campaign -- Deb joined the Southeast team of editors. Since March 2017 she has led Patch sites ranging from the Baltimore/DC area to Atlanta and Tampa/St. Pete.
She previously worked as an editor for 13 years at the Des Moines Register, focused on suburban coverage that ranged from local election coverage to city and county government reporting and crime/safety issues. During this period she led a team of 27 reporters, photographers and editors who produced 27 print sections a week, and transitioned into digital news.
As a weekly newspaper editor, Deb led the staff of the Indianola Record-Herald to win the prestigious Newspaper of the Year award from the Iowa Newspaper Association in 1997, competing against newspapers from major metros. She also won multiple INA and National Newspaper Association awards for covering city government and editorials examining open meetings issues, the need for bond issue approvals, and other good government practices.
In the digital space, Deb has earned an award for Patch's 2024 coverage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore harbor, along with local editor Jacob Baumgart.
Deb grew up in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois, and majored in journalism at Northwest Missouri State University. She has spent her entire career in community journalism.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. called the COVID vaccine changes that effect VA "common sense" and "good science" during a Tuesday announcement.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. called the COVID vaccine changes "common sense" and "good science" during a Tuesday announcement.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. called the COVID vaccine changes "common sense" and "good science" during a Tuesday announcement.
A Fairfax County man has been sentenced for using what was described as homemade napalm to set fire to his car in protest of the election.
A teenager from the northwest region of Virginia who had recently traveled outside the U.S. is the state's second confirmed measles case.
Thousands of Georgians shopping for groceries, sporting and home goods, and clothes could start seeing the higher price tags within weeks.
The risk of Parkinson's disease, which impairs movement, doubles for FL residents who live near a golf course, a new study says.
Foodie-focused website Chowhound says this Florida restaurant has the best burger in the state. Have you tried it?
Foodie-focused website Chowhound says this Georgia restaurant with multiple Atlanta area locations has the best burger in the state.
Foodie-focused website Chowhound says this Virginia restaurant has the best burger in the state. Have you tried it?
The Social Security Administration has revealed which baby names were the most popular across Virginia in 2024.
Foodie-focused website Chowhound says this Maryland restaurant has the best burger in the state. Have you tried it?
The Social Security Administration has revealed which baby names were the most popular across Maryland in 2024.
It's a Rockville tradition — Memorial Day is celebrated with a ceremony and parade, along with the two-day Hometown Holidays festival.
The renovated Bumblebee RV Park & Campground is open and also hosts the state's first geodesic dome glamping venues in Western Maryland.
Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum; a suspect has been charged.
AccuWeather said warm Atlantic waters may fuel more "super-charged" storms as Virginia prepares for the start of the 2025 hurricane season.
AccuWeather said warm Atlantic waters may fuel more "super-charged" storms as Maryland prepares for the start of the 2025 hurricane season.
Prince George's County family members are raising money for the teenage crash victims to be laid to rest in their home countries.
Some new rules are proposed for who should get the COVID vaccine booster. Here's what to know.
