ORLEANS — Voters agreed Tuesday to proceed with a renovation/expansion feasibility study of the fire station, the purchase of a new pumper truck, and the expenditure on design and permitting for dredging work in Nauset Estuary and Pleasant Bay. Turnout was 25 percent for the special election held to exempt the measures, which had been backed at the Oct. 31 town meeting, as debt exclusions from the tax levy l...

ORLEANS — After just his first meeting as a member of the state’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, commercial fisherman Bill Amaru had good news for fellow supporters of dredging Nauset Estuary. “We are going to discuss a new survey of fish stocks in the estuaries where dredging will be taking place to see if the window for dredging can be expanded,” Amaru wrote in an email. “Certain species that were abu...

ORLEANS — Today (Dec. 3) at 4:30 p.m., the community preservation committee will begin sifting through more than 20 requests for funding, including $2 million to help acquire the former Cape Cod Five operations center for community housing. Among other requests on the list is the recreation advisory committee’s “Orleans Outdoors” initiative, a $189,636 package covering amenities from bike and kayak racks to ba...

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” is how Nauset Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Conrad might sum up the past few months in the school system that has been profoundly changed by the coronavirus pandemic. “With change comes change. Do not be afraid of it,” are words that Conrad frequently speaks to his staff. Conrad gave the keynote speech during the Orleans Chamber of Commerce’s 31st annual m...

“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 – 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...