ORLEANS -- For many dog owners, one of the simple pleasures of visiting or living in Orleans is being able to let their pets off their leash. The town does not currently require that dogs be leashed when out in public, but that could soon change. Orleans Police Chief Scott MacDonald came to the select board Dec. 8 with a proposal to update the town's animal control bylaw at the annual town meeting this spri...

ORLEANS -- One of the two businesses approved to open a recreational marijuana operation in town hopes to be up and running by the end of 2022. Ember Gardens plans to open a dispensary at 41 Route 6A, and officials gave an overview of their plans during a Zoom presentation on Dec. 7. CEO Shane Hyde said the company expects to undergo local and state review for much of the next year, starting with a traffic stu...

ORLEANS -- If Orleans plans to continue to pursue permitting to dredge out the Nauset Estuary, it will have to do it without Eastham's support. The Eastham Select Board voted 5-0 Monday to withdraw from a memorandum of understanding between the town and Orleans guiding how the project would unfold. The vote came during a joint meeting between the select boards in both towns at the Eastham Public Library. Pl...

ORLEANS -- "Tell us what the rules are, and we'll enforce them." That was the message Dec. 8 from Police Chief Scott MacDonald to the select board, which continues to work toward finding a happy medium between allowing outdoor entertainment and respecting the rights of abutters to the businesses that host it. The issue of outdoor entertainment has become a sticky one in town. The select board in March voted...

ORLEANS -- I arrange to meet Garrett Dutton, better known as G. Love, at his home, a cozy, Cape-style farmhouse complete with a garden, goats and chickens. It's a mild December afternoon, and I'm slightly early as Dutton pulls up behind me in a charmingly beat-up powder blue pickup. Dog in lap, he extends a hand out his window for a shake and invites me to park over on the grass. Dutton's music with G. Love an...

ORLEANS -- When it comes to bringing on new members, Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering said Monday that his department follows a simple but important rule of thumb. "Hire for character. Train for skill," he said. The department welcomed two new firefighters during an awards ceremony Dec. 6 in the Nauset Regional Middle School auditorium. The ceremony also recognized seasoned department members, as well as oth...

ORLEANS -- The Centers for Culture and History in Orleans, better known as the CHO, has long been an ambassador and safekeeper of town history. But the organization's staff and board of directors see the potential for it to be a broader community resource. With recent renovations to the CHO Meetinghouse and abutting Hurd Chapel, that refocused mission will soon be put into practice. "We're trying to transfo...

ORLEANS — In a small space in the back of the lower level of Hilltop Plaza, members of the Nauset Model Railroad Club busy themselves with some last-minute preparations. Elaborate tracks and layouts, each varying in size and design, fill the room. The largest layout, an elevated "O Gauge" track, occupied the attention of Jeff Bassett. A member of the club for more than 10 years, Bassett not only knows his trai...

ORLEANS — Efforts to secure necessary funding for a proposed affordable housing development at 107 Main St. are following separate but parallel tracks. Between an application submitted to the community preservation committee seeking $1 million for the project in the spring and an earmark seeking the same amount as part of the senate's ARPA bill, local and regional housing officials are confident that the funds...

WELLFLEET — After a three-year hiatus, the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission could be on track to begin meeting again. The commission, which provides input from Lower Cape towns on policies and programs in the National Seashore, has been dormant since its authorization expired in September 2018. Legislation is working its way through the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the commission, but whether or no...

ORLEANS - Heading into last month's special town meeting, select board members anticipated that one article in particular might stir up some discussion in the Nauset Regional Middle School Auditorium. The Orleans School Committee's request for $495,000 to fund a universal pre-kindergarten program in town was expected to draw some back and forth, especially given the cost, which was to be funded through a Propo...

ORLEANS -- After being held virtually in 2020, a celebrated holiday tradition returns next week to Orleans. The Orleans Chamber of Commerce will bring back its annual Santa Stampede as a live event on Dec. 4. The 5K and accompanying kids race were held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stampede is the cornerstone of the chamber's Seaside Christmas festivities, which also include events s...

ORLEANS -- With town roadways facing an increased risk of flooding in the coming years, local officials are being asked to prioritize which stretches of road are most in need of protection. The Cape Cod Commission and Woods Hole Group presented findings of its analysis of the town's low-lying roads to Orleans officials Nov. 16. The presentation, which was held remotely via Zoom, was the first of several public...

ORLEANS – For members of the Nauset Regional School Committee, any discussion about using district land for a new fire station in Orleans is premature. That was the message Nov. 18 from committee members, who for the first time publicly addressed discussion that has been ongoing among town officials about possibly building the new station on three acres of land currently occupied by Nauset Regional Middle Scho...

ORLEANS -- The planned renovation of the Main Street community center promises to bring many improvements to the aging facility. But questions were raised last week about if and how the project will increase the functionality of the building. The select board on Nov. 17 voted 5-0 to endorse the placement of an article seeking community preservation funds for construction on the warrant for the annual town meet...

ORLEANS - Michael Mansfield might not be a household name, but for State Rep. Tim Whelan the nation's longest serving senate majority leader embodied what it was to be a veteran. From his time as a congressman and senator representing the state of Montana to his long tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and his integral role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Mansfield's credentials were many. But m...