The new year will bring a change to the landscape of Parsippany-Troy Hills. In 1976, the town earned the Arbor Day Foundation honor of being designated a Tree City USA, thanks to the thousands of neat and picturesque Bradford pear trees lining many of its streets. But now, after the damage caused by and to many of the arboreal hybrids during last year's late summer floods and surprise October snowstorm, the municipal Parks and Forestry department is beginning to bring down many of the Bradfords in the interest of public safety."We're still cleaning up and getting rid of hanging branches right…

Along the bustling throughway that is Parsippany Road stands Edward Hansberry's American Dream. A native of County Waterford, in the southeast of Ireland, Hansberry came to the U.S. as a young man in August 1968. He found Parsippany that year, made it his home and founded a business that has served him and his new community well: the Parsippany Deli. From the same location at 137 Parsippany Road, Hansberry has thrived and struggled over the past four decades plus.  "I had a dream when I came to America," he said. "It was this business, making it a success. I planned to retire when I was 59. …

After nearly 30 years in Parsippany, including 19 in a tiny, but dearly loved house in lower Lake Hiawatha, Susan Tobjy thought her life was settled.  "The American Dream? Oh, yeah, I believed in it," she said, sitting and appearing exhausted over a table at the Spa Restaurant. "My husband and I worked hard, we raised three kids, sent them to college. I loved my house, my neighbors. Then the flood hit and the nightmare started. What happens next? I have no idea." Tobjy's exhaustion is well earned. Since Hurricane Irene's devastating visit to Parsippany, she has lost her "structurally unsound…

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 …