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.
Chronic latecomers test everyone’s patience, but guests who show up early can create their own problems. How much leeway should hosts give?
![Late Guests And Early Arrivals: When Timing Becomes Rude [The Question]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20260806/043358/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1854209032___06163221430.jpg)
Food safety concerns lead the latest recalls, along with millions of vehicles, attic ladders, climbing ropes, eye drops and other products.
The persistence of the fungus in health care facilities underscores need for stronger infection control measures, researchers say.
Impatience, entitlement and poor planning can turn school drop-off and pickup into a daily test of safety and sanity.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. children and teens ages 2 through 19 consumed caffeine daily, but the sources of the stimulant differed by age.
Flock cameras help police solve crimes, but civil rights groups say the vast license plate network enables warrantless tracking and abuse.
The collection includes the sale of Hell, a record-setting nutcracker, a stolen Taylor Swift cutout, predatory otters and other oddities.
Cutting in line, blocking crosswalks and lingering over goodbyes can turn the school drop-off lane into a daily test of patience.
How to wash fruits and vegetables properly, what doesn’t work against cyclospora and why even prewashed greens aren’t risk-free.
Survey respondents are split over cash registries, honeymoon funds and destination wedding costs as couples embrace modern gift etiquette.
![Wedding Cash Registries Spark Etiquette Debate Among Guests [The Question]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20260730/035214/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1937146000___30152630446.jpg)
Blood donations have fallen to a four-year summer low and are not keeping pace with hospital demand during the busy trauma season.
The August break could still be disrupted by President Donald Trump’s push for the Senate to stay in session until it passes the SAVE Act.
School cellphone rules are tightening nationwide, but there’s debate over whether the restrictions improve learning or simply limit access.
The cyclospora outbreak is hurting lettuce sales and restaurant traffic. Here’s what to do to avoid the parasite causing severe diarrhea.
Wedding guests may spend hundreds before the vows are exchanged. Does that change what they owe the couple when it comes to a gift?
![Wedding RSVP Cash Gift Prompts Test Etiquette Rules For Guests [The Question]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20260724/041822/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-2636937981___24161554270.jpg)
Sharing public parks comes down to common sense, readers say. Leash dogs, slow down on trails and remember the space belongs to everyone.
The latest recalls include allergy medicine, car seats, salmonella-risk eggs, fruit pouches, soup, parasite-linked lettuce and more.
A rare Atlantic Niña may be developing at the same time a strong El Niño builds in the Pacific. Here’s how winter could be affected.
A Joint Economic Committee analysis says the average U.S. household has spent $477 more on gasoline since Feb. 28.
Readers drew sharp ethical lines between stealing food out of hunger, taking luxury goods and targeting homes, local shops or chain stores.
![Stealing Is Wrong, But Food Theft Isn’t As Clear-Cut [The Question]](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/790386/20260716/104757/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1220942950___16223759832.jpg)