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.
AAA says a record 60.6 million people will travel by car July 4 week. Here is what MD drivers can expect and when to cross the Bay Bridge.
Patch has your guide to Independence Day fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations in the Tampa Bay region and other metros in 2024.
Patch has your guide to Independence Day fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations across Northern Virginia and DC in 2024.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Arlington.
Patch has your guide to Independence Day fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations across Maryland in 2024.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Germantown.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Gaithersburg.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Silver Spring.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Bethesda.
Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Rockville.
Patch has your guide to Independence Day 2024 fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations in and around Washington, D.C.
Emergency work to fill a 14-foot-deep sinkhole in Arlington began Thursday morning and may continue through Sunday, officials said.
Patch has your complete guide to Independence Day 2024 fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations in Ocean City and other MD metros.
The City of Fairfax Office of Elections has certified the candidates for mayor, city council, and school board for the November election.
Animal Welfare League of Arlington is helping a mixed-breed adult female dog named Nekoosa to find her forever home.
One of three Northern Virginia locations of the Burgers Grilled Right restaurant chain has closed its doors in Reston, a report said.
A man police say was part of a group that broke into a Silver Spring apartment, only to be hit with bear spray, has been arrested.
A Gaithersburg man was arrested on armed robbery charges in holdups at five Montgomery County 7-Eleven stores, police said Tuesday.
In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here's how it affects VA.
In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here's how it affects MD.