Patch Launches 'Dispatches: The Changing American Dream'

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "DisPatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities.

At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Cranberry neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Locally, development in Cranberry continues to bloom. The , , and the are just a few of the shopping and office space centers slated to open in the area over the next few years.

The community's leaders are committed to following the Cranberry Plan, a map of the township's future growth. We want to know what that growth means to you. Did it attract you to this region? Can you remember when Cranberry was mostly rural farmland?  

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, the raised real estate taxes by 5.6 mills and curtailed half a dozen programs after facing a $10 million deficit for the next school year. Some school board members say mapping out a budget for the 2012-13 school year will be almost as rough.

But it wasn't all bad news. Seneca Valley Middle School was named a 2011 Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch winner in the National Schools to Watch Program. The district had a , with the baseball, softball, girls lacrosse, and boys volleyball teams all making it through the WPIAL playoffs. Seneca Valley also is . 

"DisPatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Cranberry go to the heart of your American Dream.