Introducing Our New Series About the Changing American Dream

Tune your ears and eyes for a new series, "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

We buy it at the grocery store; watch it swing from For Sale signs; read about it in the newspaper: The American Dream is evolving as our country digests the maelstrom of natural disasters, financial tremblings and governmental crises.

Every day, the national media outlets offer stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a local level.

Looking out across almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath over financial decisions, jobless college graduates returning their parents' home and seniors taking boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, innovative local businesses and engaging citizens.

At the purely local level, we want to know where individuals and communities in Winnetka, Glencoe and Northfield fit along these fault lines.

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

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