Newtown police are asking for the public’s help and looking for a commercial vehicle that may have been in the area of a deadly pedestrian crash Thursday night.

The police department responded to Hawleyville Road near the exit 9 westbound off-ramp around 6:15 p.m.

Police are looking for anyone who may have seen a commercial vehicle parked on the side of the road in front of Papa Al’s shopping center.

“We appreciate everyone’s assistance by staying clear of the area until the investigation is complete,” police said in a statement.

Authorities said a person died in the crash, but their identity wasn’t immediately made available.

The road is closed until further notice, and the crash remains under investigation.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact police at 203-426-5841.

While much has been shared about the disastrous consequences of Gov. Ned Lamont’s veto of the housing omnibus bill, H.B. 5002 (see here, here, here, and here for some highlights), there is one area of housing policy where Connecticut is leading the charge: housing vouchers.

Connecticut is one of only a handful of states to have their own state-funded housing voucher program. While most of the country relies solely on the distribution of federal Section 8 housing vouchers (which only one in every four eligible households can access due to underfunding), for the past four decades Connecticut has stepped up to expand rental assistance to our most vulnerable populations through our Rental Assistance Program (RAP). The program is still going strong: in the most recent budget, the General Assembly approved $6.7 million in Fiscal Year 27 to create more than 400 new vouchers. We have a history of taking care of our people when federal dollars fall short.

Now, with federal funding more uncertain than ever, Connecticut is one of the best poised states to step in and step up to keep our families in their homes. As the Trump Administration has threatened housing stability for voucher recipients — through the government shut down, drastic proposed budget cuts, and new proposed work requirements — Connecticut doesn’t need to scramble to implement new emergency programs. We can build out our existing infrastructure to provide a safety net for the casualties of this administration’s cruelty.

What exactly is the Rental Assistance Program? It helps very low-income families afford safe, decent housing in the private market. Participants locate a private rental home — from apartments to single family homes — and arrange for the landlord to accept rental assistance payments. Rental assistance is a subsidy, not a free ride. Families making up to 50% of Area Median Income, or between $35K-$43K for a three-person household, will pay up to 40% of their monthly income in rent (30% for elderly and disabled tenants) and the state makes up the difference between what the family can afford and what the private market charges. (See pschousing.org for an explainer on the differences between federal and state housing vouchers.)

When it comes to housing, other states face a difficult choice: let their residents face eviction and homelessness, or build the plane as they fly it by creating new programs, funding streams, and bureaucracies while in crisis.

Connecticut is prepared and doesn’t need to face this impossible choice. It’s simple: mobilize and fund our existing Rental Assistance Program to keep families safe and stably housed.

Our most urgent first step is to mitigate the impacts of the government shutdown. Current funding for Section 8 vouchers is estimated to last until the end of November – then public housing authorities are on their own. The governor and General Assembly can lead in their upcoming special session by providing funding for the Department of Housing to cover the gaps.

An eviction can follow a family and make it impossible for them to find housing for years to come. Evictions as a result of the federal government reneging on their rental agreement are deeply unfair to voucher holders who have consistently paid 30% of their income in rent. It would be a mistake to allow a wave of evictions and homelessness to move forward during a temporary shutdown when we have the tools and the funds to step in.

Connecticut’s policymakers can plan ahead for how to best deploy our Rental Assistance Program to mitigate a future housing crisis from Washington:

Connecticut has the opportunity to be a housing leader. No one deserves to be evicted because of dysfunctional federal policies, and we can and should stand up for our neighbors. We urge our state leaders to not forget their most powerful tool in this fight — state housing vouchers.

Alysha Gardner of New Haven is senior policy analyst for Hartford-based Partnership for Strong Communities.

Democrats won big in Tuesday’s municipal elections in Connecticut, holding on to mayoral offices in Stamford, New Haven and Danbury and knocking out incumbent Republicans in Ansonia and Stratford, according to unofficial vote tallies.

The results came amid other Democratic wins elsewhere in the country.

In New York City’s closely-watched mayor’s race, Zohran Mamdani beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. In California, Democrats passed a gerrymandering proposition that would allow them to carve out additional blue seats.

Here’s a look at where some Connecticut’s key municipal races stand Wednesday morning:

Democratic incumbents in Stamford, Danbury and New Haven each fended off Republican mayoral challengers Tuesday night. 

Voters also granted a second term to Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, who scored a win over Republican Emile G Buzaid with 59.06% of the vote.

In New Haven, incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker handily defeated Republican Steven Orosco, a former MMA fighter, with 77.43% of the vote. The win continues Democrats’ control of the city that dates to the Eisenhower administration.

A handful of races remained either too close to call Wednesday morning or lacked results. 

In Easton, the secretary of the state’s unofficial results showed Republican Dan Lent leading Democrat Nicholas D’Addario by just six votes in the race for the first selectman’s office. 

In East Hartford, where Republican Salema Davis and Connor Martin are vying for the mayor’s office, no results have been reported, according to the secretary of the state.

Tuesday night saw a few upsets with incumbents knocked from their seats. 

In Ansonia, Republican Mayor David S. Cassetti lost to Democrat Frank Tyszka, who secured 57.96% of the vote.

In Stratford, incumbent Republican Laura R. Hoydick lost to Democrat David Chess.

Neighboring Milford also saw a Republican incumbent defeated by a Democrat, with voters backing Rich Smith over the incumbent, Tony Giannattasio.