Photos by Vinicio Guevara.

An overnight car chase involving a silver colored vehicle fleeing from police northbound on 46th Street resulted in several smashed parked cars and two people injured inside another car at the intersection of 46th St. and Springfield Avenue. Our readers reported the car chase and sent photos around midnight. The chase started at 45th and Woodland, police said. The man injured in the crash was taken to the hospital and was undergoing surgery, NBC10 reports.

As police search for two suspects involved in the abduction of a 5-year-old girl from a West Philly elementary school earlier this month, the reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction has reached $80,000, according to the Special Victims Unit.

The girl was abducted from the Bryant Elementary school at 60th and Cedar on the morning of January 14 by a woman dressed in dark colored Muslim clothing and taken to a house in the area where she was joined by a man. The girl was held in the house overnight and found by a passerby early the next morning hiding under a slide in a playground at 69th St and Marshall Road in Upper Darby.

Police are also looking for a third “person of interest” described as a 14- to 17-year-old black female who may go by the
name of “China/Chyna”, thin build, light skinned, with long straight black hair. She was last seen wearing a hoody and tights.

Anyone with information about this case are asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477), the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251, or 911. You can also email to: tips@phillypolice.com.

– Mike Lyons

Photo by Stacey Nosek.

Two 18th District police officers were injured in a Sunday morning collision with a civilian vehicle at 49th and Chestnut Streets and were transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to police.

The accident took place at about 11:30 a.m. The police car was traveling eastbound on Chestnut and the other vehicle was traveling south on 49th Street when the collision occurred at the intersection. The police car tried to avoid the collision but struck the other vehicle and then a utility pole. The officers sustained facial cuts and had neck pain when they were transported to the hospital where they were listed in stable condition. The driver of the other car was also taken to the hospital for evaluation.

UPDATE: Many thanks to reader Stacey Nosek for sending us the photo of the crash taken while she was driving by shortly after the accident. Stacey said that she and her husband heard the crash as they were ready to leave their house.

West Philly Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes are selling Girl Scout Cookies today in front of the Lil’ Pop Shop at 265 S. 44th Street starting at noon. The Lil’ Pop Shop is closed for the month of January but will reopen for business on Feb. 2. Stock up on Thin Mints while you can!

For general information on how the Girl Scouts use cookie proceeds, click here.

– Jen

Great news for café lovers. The space on the 4300 block of Locust Street that used to house Café Clave will soon be reborn. Its new name, fittingly, is Café Renata (“reborn” in Latin).

The café will begin a soft opening next week and have an opening celebration on Friday (more on that next week). Co-owners Kate Steenstra and Yasser Aiq, both West Philly residents, will run the show. Café Renata will serve a wide selection of coffee along with a wide selection of food, including Mediterranean, South American and American fare with “a little more emphasis on breakfast,” said Aiq. Another welcome addition will be a rotating selection of soups. Down the road Steenstra and Aiq hope to add brunch.

Stay tuned for more from Café Renata.

Yasser Aiq and Kate Steenstra.

It’s tax preparation time again and starting today, Jan. 25 and through April 15, 2013, 11 free tax sites will be open throughout Philadelphia, managed by The Campaign for Working Families. The sites are offering e-filing and direct deposit services for families that earned less than $51,000 and individuals who earned less than $20,000 last year.

Here’s a list of free tax sites in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

Ebenezer Temple Church
5649 Christian St. (Near Baltimore Ave.)
Hours:Mon. and Tues. 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Sat. 9am – 3pm

Mt. Pisgah Church
428 N. 41st St (near Spring Garden)
Hours: Mon. 2-7pm
Sat. 9am – 3pm

Dornsife
3509 Spring Garden St
Hours: Wed. 4-7:30pm, Fri. 1-5pm
Sat. 10am – 3pm

Before coming to the tax site please review here what to bring.

In addition, 80 KEYSPOTS in Philadelphia are providing free tax filing services for families and individuals with incomes below $57,000. They will provide you with a computer, high-speed internet access and assist you using MyFreeTaxes.com/phillykeyspots. To find a location go to phillykeyspots.org or you can file your taxes from your computer at MyFreeTaxes.com/philly.