ORLEANS – This Thanksgiving, one of the most difficult aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is that many extended families cannot sit at the same table to eat, laugh and reminisce. The isolation can hit seniors particularly hard. In senior living centers, visits are prohibited or kept short to protect elder loved ones from the virus. Seniors can’t hug family members and can’t cradle newborns in their laps. B...

ORLEANS — With two outdoor town meetings and one presidential balloting behind them, voters will be asked to make one more set of decisions in 2020 on Tuesday, Dec. 1. That’s when a special town election will determine whether the town moves ahead on a feasibility study for the renovation and/or expansion of the aged and inadequate fire station, the planned purchase of a new pumper truck, and continuing preparati...

The Cape Cod Chronicle won the Orleans Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Small Business of the Year Award, given during the chamber’s 31st annual meeting held virtually on Nov. 17. “Thank you for all you do for the Orleans community,” the chamber’s incoming chair Judy Lindahl of Nauset Marine said in announcing the award. She added that the paper supports the chamber, businesses, non-profits, and civic and community ...

ORLEANS — Back in 2016, the town paid $500,000 for a property at 141 Portanimicut Rd. that included a beach, marshland, and a house. The purpose for the purchase was open space and recreation, but for a few years the house was used as a satellite natural resources office. More recently, the 141 Portanimicut Rd. Task Force, appointed by the conservation commission, has been working on a land management plan for...

“We are in a moment right now where it has never been more apparent that housing equals health care,” Andrea Aldana, director of Housing Advocacy for Community Development Partnership (CDP), said last week during an Orleans Citizens forum on affordable housing. “Our ability to control the pandemic is really closely tied to access to safe, decent and affordable housing that allows people to shelter in place and pr...

ORLEANS – The historic Captain Linnell House, long a well-known restaurant, has been sold and will be converted back into a private residence. The 2.28-acre property at 137 Skaket Beach Rd. sold for $1.45 million. Its current assessment is $813,300, according to the town's assessing records. The buyers were Joseph and Linda Beals, according to John Ciluzzi, the realtor who sold the property. Built by sea ca...

The holiday season always puts a big demand on area food pantries, but this year the Lower Cape Outreach Council is facing an even greater need for donations due to the challenges area families are facing due to the ongoing pandemic, which has cost many folks on the Lower Cape their income. This morning, registered families will pick up turkeys, fresh produce, and all the fixings for a delicious Thanksgiving d...

ORLEANS — Cape Cod Healthcare is proposing to redevelop the Lobster Claw restaurant property at 42 Route 6A, demolishing the existing structure and constructing a $5.6 million, 6,500-square-foot, multi-use medical building. The facility will offer primary, specialty and urgent care services, with on-site x-ray and lab drawing for the Lower and Outer Cape regions beginning in 2022, according to a press release....

ORLEANS — The town’s investment in studying housing uses for the former Cape Cod Five operations center has led to a plan for 62 rental units at the West Road site. Pennrose, which recently developed the Village at Nauset Green affordable housing community in Eastham, has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the bank, which relocated its central office to Hyannis last year. The developer plans to create ...

ORLEANS – The Orleans Historical Commission put off until its Dec. 9 meeting a vote on when focus groups will be convened to discuss the proposed East Orleans Historic District. During the virtual Nov. 12 meeting, Commissioner Joan Nix said the focus groups, which are anticipated to have up to eight participants each, will initially be held for only property owners within the proposed historic district that ru...

ORLEANS — Acknowledged as “the father of planning in Orleans,” Dr. Kenneth McKusick, 89, died Nov. 4 at his home on Namequoit Road.  Dr. McKusick, noted for his work on the planning board and board of water and sewer commissioners, “passed away peacefully in his sleep last night,” Select Board Chair Kevin Galligan said as he opened his board’s meeting last week. “We offer our sincerest thanks and gratitude for...

ORLEANS – Residents have until Sunday, Nov. 22 to offer their comments to town officials or Cape Cod Commission staff regarding the Orleans Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. Lev Malakhoff, commission transportation planner, recommends that people who wish to comment should first look at the materials pertaining to the Complete Streets plan on the commission's website. On Nov. 5, the commission held a vi...