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.
Two Washington, D.C, residents have been charged with robbing four Montgomery County pizza places in the past three weeks, police said.
The eyewear store Warby Parker has set the opening date for its ninth Maryland location. Here's what to know.
A Derwood man has been charged with murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend. The New York woman was fatally shot Sunday in Silver Spring.
As a nor'easter moves past Virginia it will drop more rain on the state; flooding is reported in Hampton Roads. See the latest forecast.
As a nor'easter moves past Maryland it will dump more rain on the state; flooding is reported in Ocean City. See the forecast for the week.
Museums, National Zoo closed; student suspensions in transgender case; airport worker punched; and shooting in Alexandria.
An online fundraiser has been created to help the family of Summer Lin, the girl who died after she was hit by a Montgomery Co. school bus.
Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed Sunday as the federal government shutdown continued, plus more layoffs are threatened.
When it comes to buying a house in the Tampa and Miami metros, not all suburbs are created equal.
These 4 Virginia and D.C. restaurants serve exceptional food and delight their communities, said a ranking by an online reservation service.
These 4 Maryland and D.C. restaurants serve exceptional food and delight their communities, said a ranking by an online reservation service.
An 11-year-old girl riding a bicycle was fatally struck by a Montgomery County Public School bus Thursday afternoon, police said.
The Washington Post's food critic has named five Maryland dining spots to his latest list of the best restaurants in the region.
The sustainable wine country-inspired restaurant Sixty Vines will open next week in Gaithersburg, its first Maryland location.
The Barbie Truck Tour is sporting a new theme, new look and new merchandise. The tour includes a Montgomery County stop.
A kids social club has a grand opening set for its first DMV location. The studio offers classes for young children and their families.
A grain-to-glass distillery, tasting room, and cocktail bar is opening in Montgomery County. A grand opening will feature free tastings.
It's a potentially stunning season for the skies in Florida, led by a full harvest moon in the first of three supermoons to end 2025.
It's a potentially stunning season for the skies in Georgia, led by a full harvest moon in the first of three supermoons to end 2025.
It's a potentially stunning season for the skies in Virginia, led by a full harvest moon in the first of three supermoons to end 2025.