🌱 Fairfax County New License Plate Readers + Fairfax Co. Sheriff Race

Hey, Kingstowne-Rose Hill! Danielle Fallon-O'Leary here with your fresh copy of the Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch newsletter, full of all the community news you need to know right now.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Cooler with periods of rain. High: 48 Low: 43.
• Saturday: Partly sunny and breezy. High: 56 Low: 35.

Are you a business owner or marketer in Kingstowne-Rose Hill who wants to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales? If that's you, then I invite you to see how our newsletter sponsorships combine our local audience reach with your expertise to attract new customers. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top three stories today in Kingstowne-Rose Hill:

1. Fairfax County police have added new license plate readers to solve stolen car crimes due to a rise in carjackings and stolen vehicles. The new standalone readers from Flock Safety have been installed on the back of Fairfax County squad cars. The new automatic readers record the make, model, and color of the car, and can track vehicles with obscured license plates. The readers are connected to the local and national stolen car database and when a stolen vehicle passes the police car, the readers send a real-time alert to officers. (WUSA 9)
2. On Mar. 1, Kelvin Garcia announced he will challenge Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, the county's first female sheriff, and campaign to become the Democratic nomination for sheriff. Garcia is a former D.C. police officer who is now a law clerk and coaches freshman football at Herndon High School. He said he is running as the more progressive alternative to Kincaid and said, "To me, there are two sides right now to the Democratic Party on the ballot this year. There’s the old-world moderate and the progressive who wants to build a future for everyone." (Reston Now)
3. Online house hunting is great, but nothing compares to walking through a home in person. Check out upcoming open houses in the Kingstowne-Rose Hill area, including a three-bedroom in nearby Alexandria on Sunday, Mar. 5. (Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch)

Today and tomorrow in and around Kingstowne-Rose Hill:

Friday, March 3

• Lettice and Lovage At Little Theatre of Alexandria (8:00 PM)

Saturday, March 4

• Let's Draw! At Kingstowne Library (10:30 AM)
• Trivia Night & Card Games At First Christian Church of Alexandria (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Adorable stray guinea pigs are available for adoption at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter!
  If you've been thinking about adopting a guinea pig or two, take a trip to the shelter to meet them. (Fairfax County Animal Shelter via Instagram)
• Fairfax County Police Department detectives believe the elderly couple found dead at a Fairfax home on the night of Feb. 28 was the result of a murder-suicide. According to the investigation, it appears that 89-year-old Janos John Gertler shot his wife, 73-year-old Eva Anna Vas, and then shot himself. (WFXR-TV)
• A free mobile dental clinic is coming to nearby Springfield on Saturday, Mar. 4! The clinic will offer free dental screenings for uninsured children from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. (Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Win $2,000 at the Alexandria Wedding Showcase! (March 5)
• All-Night Grad Party Mulch Fundraiser (March 25)
• Add your event

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right. See you all soon for another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.