ORLEANS — A Community Housing Forum on April 11 will take a close look at the spectrum of current and future housing options Orleans needs for its residents, based on an in-depth survey of demographic and related trends. The forum, to be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the council on aging on Rock Harbor Road, will include a presentation of the draft community housing study and breakout sessions aimed at gene...

ORLEANS — How to address the needs of a booming program can be even more complex than shoring up one in decline. By many measures, the council on aging is getting the job done. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1,242 Orleans seniors were served by the senior center's many programs. While reason for satisfaction, some say the numbers call for a reorganization. “Members of the council on aging board, t...

ORLEANS — Roderick MacDonald, a Presbyterian minister, has been thinking a good deal about a story that speaks to the need to support the rights of immigrants. Nearing retirement, he visited a member of his off-Cape congregation and learned that the woman's sister had been picked up by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and detained in the Suffolk County House of Correction. Sixteen years...

ORLEANS — He who pays the piper should call the tune – even if it's the sewer piper. But some feel the piper – the regulators and consultants – are making the town dance instead. Things aren't that simple, however. In recent years, Orleans has explored alternatives to widespread sewering to meet nitrogen reduction goals for its waters. Among the alternatives outside of downtown have been low-tech and less...

ORLEANS — The intersection of Route 6A and West Road, the first impression many visitors have of Orleans, will send a different message in years to come.     The big barn of a building that held the Hearth 'n Kettle restaurant is being torn down, complete with its little gazebo. In its place will rise a large CVS pharmacy complete with drive-through window.     Instead of “stop and linger,” the message will be mo...

ORLEANS — Theatergoers are familiar with the Night of New Works presented annually by the Academy Playhouse. Through March 31, you can enjoy a whole month of new works at Orleans Town Hall. The artists are sixth to 12 th graders at Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, Nauset Regional Middle School, and Nauset Regional High School, and their art and media are as distinctive as their creators. Just inside t...

ORLEANS — The energetic ball of fluff called Mia is a companion dog. As she scampered around inside the Old Firehouse last week greeting other dogs and their people, her trainer looked on with admiration. “She owns everywhere she goes,” said Gina Hayes, president of Just Dogs Training. Mia is the latest in a long of animals trained by Hayes, including the beloved companion dog at Nauset Regional Middle Sc...

ORLEANS — About 50 people came to the senior center March 1 to find out more about the revenue committee's proposals to pay for town operations such as the beaches and the transfer station out of their own dedicated income streams. At the Orleans Citizens Forum event, committee member Paul Kelleher presented research that showed, compared to equal Cape communities, the town has the highest percentage of prop...

ORLEANS — Opportunity is knocking for the Nauset Public Schools, even if some wish the region could take more time to get ready for its big date with town meeting voters. On Feb. 27, the Nauset Regional School Committee got an update on discussions between school and town administrators on scheduling a vote to approve a feasibility study and schematic design preparation for a high school renovation/expansion...

ORLEANS — People who love old buildings and serve on historical commissions face a conflict. Their instinct is to preserve, but often they are required to facilitate demolition of historic structures. “It's really discouraging,” said Ann Sinclair, chair of the historical commission. “After all, what is it that people love about Orleans? Houses, the old homes and the ocean.” On Friday, March 3, at 4 p.m., ...

ORLEANS — The town's community preservation committee does just that. It recommends funds to preserve open space, housing options, history and, this week, one woman's dream for youth recreation opportunities. On Feb. 16, the CPC voted to recommend giving Nauset Together We Can $19,000 toward the next phase of the Jean Finch Skateboard Park at Nauset Regional Middle School, just weeks after the death of Finch...

ORLEANS — The Massachusetts School Building Authority smiled on the Nauset Public Schools last week, accepting for further consideration a plan to help pay for renovating 45-year-old Nauset High in Eastham. “We were chosen as one of 17 districts out of 87 to move forward,” Superintendent Tom Conrad said in an interview Feb. 17. “We are very excited and very happy.” Nauset applied last year as well but was...