So there are blizzard warnings until mid-day Wednesday. Relax, Q-Town. There’s no way we’re gonna get hit by 20 inches of snow.

Or is there?

ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF Brent Fischer recently put out a press release warning local residents of a scam involving selling items online or via e-mail, receving a check for more than the agreed purchase price, and being instructed to wire back the difference.

It happened recently with a Herald-Whig classified ad. A person sold a dog and got a check for well more than the agreed purchase price. They were told to cash the check and send a money order for the difference.

Fortunately, the person became suspicious and alerted the authorities.

These checks scammers send out are real-looking checks with official routing numbers and addresses from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. If you ever have a doubt, don’t hesitate to check with local law enforcement or your local bank.

And, as always, never send out personal information online or via e-mail unless you are dealing with a trusted and secure person or system.

THEY’VE BEEN WAITING for justice. They will see it unfold next week in St. Charles, when Manuel Cazares goes on trial for the 2009 second-degree murders of Carl Epley and Amanda Thomas.

In our flawed criminal justice system, it’s almost always about the defendant. He gets to have a lawyer if he can’t afford one. He gets to decide with his lawyer if he will testify, what witnesses he might want to call, if he wants to plead guilty or go to trial.

In court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing, Judge Nancy Schneider granted a motion from Cazares’ attorney banning emotional outbursts from observers during the trial. There is a very good reason for this — Schneider said a year or so ago, there was such an instance in St. Charles, and the jury had to be dismissed in the middle of a trial because of it.

There’s been considerable time, expense and pain involved in this case already, what with a previous judge denying a plea bargain arrangement for Cazares to get 30 years in prison. The last thing anybody wants is the process to be torpedoed now, and prosecutor Kevin Zoellner said he would speak to the family about the issue.

Zoellner is a veteran prosecutor who has an imposing presence in the courtroom. The families will listen. I could not imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes and my heart goes out to them.

The judge also banned shows of support like signs or T-shirts supporting the victims in the courtroom.

If Cazares is found guilty, the families will get their day in court, face the man accused of the horrible crime, and say what they want the judge and the defendant to hear.

Until then, they wait for justice, ever slowly, to arrive.

VERY SAD TO hear about the death of Clayton resident Leisha Kelly and her son Tuesday night as the result of a three-vehicle crash near Fowler. Click here for the story.

Leisha Kelly's latest book, The House on Malcom Street, was published in 2010.

I did a couple of stories about Leisha, who had 11 books published and made frequent appearances at local libraries and bookstores for signings. I remember meeting her in November 2004 after “Katie’s Dream” was published, and she seemed very content living in the rural Clayton countryside with her husband and two young children.

A few years later she published another book about the Wortham and Hammond families, set in Southern Illinois in the Great Depression and during WWII. Kelly talked about relating to her characters, the craft of writing and talking to area residents those difficult times in our country.

Her books sold well for the publisher Revell and she was quite content raising her kids, volunteering as a youth pastor and meeting people to talk about writing.

Prayers for her, family and friends during a tragic time.

YES, IT’S COLD and the ground is still covered in snow.

Could be worse. You could be blown over.

NOTE: No ducks were hurt during the filming of this video. At least as far as we know.

THIS IS EITHER devotion to a good meal or just being dumb.

A Western Illinois Student was recently ticketed when he wouldn’t leave his fraternity house room after a fire alarm sounded. Click here for the story.

Apparently the young man wouldn’t leave because he claimed the fire department took too long. In one news account of the story, the dreaded “alcohol was involved” disclosure was made, along with the student being uncooperative.

Really? Sitting in your room eating lasagna and ignoring a fire alarm while enjoying a good beer buzz?

Sounds like a senior year in college moment to me ….

GREAT TURNOUT SATURDAY at Turner Hall for the Patrons for Patriots event. Click here for the story.

Here’s an interview with an awesome guitar player but more importantly, a great guy, Steve Stoner. He’s involved with Guitars4Vets, a most worthy endeavor.

SO IT’S A frigid 11 degrees right now in Quincy, and it will dip into single digits before morning.

Could be worse.

International Falls, Minn. set a record low at 46 degrees below zero Friday morning. Repeat — 46 BELOW.

That’s too cold to walk the dogs. That’s so cold, spit freezes before it hits the sidewalk. That’s so cold, your car won’t start and your pipes scream at you when you turn on the facet.

Relax, Q-town. It’s winter. Cold and snow happen. The National Weather Service says the average low in Quincy for the month of January is 16, and the average high is 34, and guess what? It’s supposed to be 34 by Sunday.

You REALLY want to see cold? Check out the video below ….

THE QUINCY POLICE Department will have a recruiting event this weekend at the Quincy Mall in the department’s brand new sub post.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., you are welcome to stop by and learn more about the department and eligibility requirements. Here’s an interview with Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley with more about the event.

For more information, click here or call officer James Cress at (217) 221-2265.

DEBATE ABOUT MARIJUANA legalization continues to rage in this country.

Talk to law enforcement and prosecutors, and they’ll tell you how bad it is for you and like it or not, it’s illegal. So don’t use it.

Talk to pot smokers and they’ll say it’s no worse than alcohol, doesn’t bother anybody else and just makes people mellow, not angry and prone to violence.

I know people who smoke pot. It doesn’t bother me. Personally, I have no use for it and think it’s more addicting than people will admit. I have almost no experience in the matter, and that’s the way it will stay.

Then you hear about young people who are allegedly in the wrong place in the wrong time, and pot is involved, and it’s just mind-numbing, if you pardon the pun.