ORLEANS – The world's largest coffee chain could be coming to Orleans. The site plan review committee has given an informal review to a concept plan for a proposed Starbucks at the site of the former Hearth n' Kettle on West Road. George Meservey, the town's director of planning and community development who also chairs the site plan committee, updated the select board Oct. 13 on the plan from TRT Orleans, ...

Wreckage of a plane missing since Sunday has been located, according to Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith. State police divers, accompanied by Chatham and Harwich harbormaster personnel, spent the morning and part of the afternoon searching an area about a mile and a half off Nauset. They returned to the Chatham Fish Pier about 2:45 p.m. The wreckage was found about two miles east of Nauset Beach, Smith sai...

ORLEANS – Where to begin with plans for the Governor Prence Inn property? Town officials say a tour of the 5.5-acre parcel might be a good start. The first meeting of the Governor Prence Planning Committee was held Oct. 21. The seven-member board, which is comprised of one member each from the town’s select board, planning board, affordable housing committee and affordable housing trust board as well as th...

by Ryan Bray ORLEANS – As town officials and Eversource crews worked around the clock to restore power in the days after last week's nor'easter, special efforts were made to residents of the town's two senior housing developments. Almost all residents and businesses in Orleans were without power Oct. 27, including those at Tonset Woods and Rock Harbor Village. The developments, which are managed by the Orle...

ORLEANS – For the first time since June, the select board is at full membership. Voters at Tuesday's special town election backed Michael Herman to finish out the term vacated by Cecil Newcomb last summer. Herman, who ran unopposed for the seat, garnered 1,475 votes. There were 41 write-in votes and 33 ballots left blank. Four ballot questions also were put before voters on Tuesday. A request for $365,000 t...

ORLEANS – Voters at Monday's special town meeting approved $100,000 for an expanded fire station feasibility study, but the funding will not be used to explore property owned by the Nauset Regional School District. Article 10 on the warrant for the special session sought authorization to use free cash to finance the expanded study to explore possible options for siting a new fire station. That was to inclu...

ORLEANS – Michael Herman has spent much of his life taking up the many opportunities it has had to offer him. From time spent living in New York City and Hong Kong to a career that saw him pivot from fashion to farming, Herman has always looked forward to what comes next.  “I’ve kind of gotten to a place in life where I’m open to new experiences,” he said. Herman’s varied background could serve him well in ...

ORLEANS – As athletic director at Nauset Regional High School, John Mattson has plenty on his plate. But in addition to scheduling and rescheduling games as needed for the school's 12 varsity and junior varsity fall programs, he's taken upon himself the added task of trying to help recruit bus drivers. The Cape Cod Collaborative, which handles bus transportation for Nauset, Monomoy and four other Cape district...

ORLEANS – Remote and hybrid meetings have moved to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they might stay there in the long term. Governor Charlie Baker in June extended Open Meeting Law provisions allowing hybrid and remote meetings through April 1. But Town Administrator John Kelly said the usefulness of Zoom and the internet in conducting government meetings could factor into the town’s future plan...

ORLEANS – Cam and Tyler Hadfield spent every day this past summer at The Rail. The brothers, who co-own the East Orleans breakfast and lunch spot near the corner of Beach Road and Barley Neck Road, struggled with staffing, especially toward the end of summer as many seasonal workers went back to school. By late August, Cam said, the restaurant scaled back its hours of operation and closed on Thursdays. "We ...

ORLEANS – "This is going to be a challenge," John Kelly told the select board Oct. 13. The town administrator was referring to the trouble town officials have run into drafting regulations for outdoor entertainment licensing, specifically regarding live music. Neighbors of the Barley Neck Inn on Beach Road have pushed back on the select board's vote in March to permit the restaurant to offer outdoor live mu...

ORLEANS – At  107 Main St., a small abandoned building, formerly a Masonic Lodge, is set far back from the road. But if the Housing Assistance Corporation has its way, the property could be the site of a new farmhouse style building that better aligns with the historic character of the area. HAC officials presented plans and renderings for the 14-unit, 20-bedroom affordable housing development it is planning f...