Thank you for your interest in reading The Astorian. Here are a few stories that you might have missed this week:

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The Sunset Empire Transportation District, citing a dire financial situation, made the extraordinary decision to suspend bus service and other operations.

The transit district’s board voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon to discontinue operations indefinitely and furlough employees.

“The message is we will not be offering any public transportation services effective Saturday due to the financial situation that we’re in. We will get it restarted as soon as we have a financial package in place. And we’ll get the process to restart up and running as soon as possible,” Jeff Hazen, the transit district’s executive director, told The Astorian.

The state Department of Transportation is conducting an audit to review the situation.

The story first appeared as breaking news on The Astorian’s website on Thursday evening. Readers can sign up for breaking news alerts and newsletters by clicking here.

See the story by Ethan Myers by clicking here.

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The state Department of Transportation is planning improvements to Marine Drive in Astoria to enhance safety.

Plans for the dangerous corridor — from Eighth Street near McDonald’s down to Columbia Avenue by the Doughboy Monument — include the addition of a center turn lane, bike lanes, illumination at intersections and enhanced pedestrian islands at Sixth and Second streets.

“People may not realize it, but … this is a corridor with a lot of safety issues for cars, bicycles and pedestrians,” said Ken Shonkwiler, a senior transportation project manager based in the Department of Transportation’s Astoria office. “We have deaths. We have serious injury crashes. It’s noticeable enough to start hitting up high on our regionwide scoring systems. So, it’s time we do something about it.”

Read the story by Nicole Bales by clicking here.

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A low-barrier shelter for the homeless is planned for Seaside.

Esperanza Village, which will be built on N. Roosevelt Drive across from the old Seaside High School, will provide 15 units of pallet housing, along with a community room, two bathroom and shower buildings with 24/7 oversight by caseworkers.

Clatsop Community Action is behind the project.

“There is no doubt that Esperanza Village will play an important and critical role in the solutions of the crisis of homelessness,” Viviana Matthews, the executive director of the social services agency, said in an email. “Not to mention that it is much more dignified and humane than having individuals sleep in tents or under a tarp. As always, we are so appreciative of the city of Seaside for the support to (Clatsop Community Action) and its community.”

Take a look at Nicole Bales’ report by clicking here.

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— Derrick DePledge