For at least another week, Shelby County acting Mayor Joyce Avery will remain in office. After spending all day on Monday voting and re-voting for candidates for interim mayor, the Shelby County Commission could not reach a decision.

While numerous candidates were considered, the vote ultimately came down to two -- J.W. Gibson II and Joe Ford. According to The Commercial Appeal, each candidate received five votes from the Commission. Interestingly, each candidate also received votes from two Republican and three Democratic commissioners.

Since no decision could be reached, the commissioners have rescheduled the vote for November 17th.

So what do you think? Which of the two front runners would make the best interim mayor?

Many individuals and families have a beautiful tradition of volunteering their time in a soup kitchen or similar facility on Thanksgiving or Christmas. As wonderful as such sacrificial giving is, it is worth noting that some charitable organizations like the Memphis Union Mission typically fill up their holiday volunteer spots very quickly. The reason for this is that people tend to remember these causes at this time of year.

So who is serving up soup or passing out sandwiches on a random Tuesday in June? Where are the volunteers on a bitterly cold February morning?

Certainly, there are many dedicated people volunteering their time all year long. But if you are looking for an opportunity to volunteer your time and can't find a spot on Thanksgiving or Christmas, consider signing up for another day -- any day -- throughout the year.

Photo by Dina Wakulchik, licensed under Creative Commons

I saw a headline on the Commercial Appeal website today that read, "Girl, 16, charged with murder in infant's death." My immediate assumption was that it was a case of a young woman giving birth and then dumping the infant, leaving it to die.

I went on to read the story, though, and learned that it was not that kind of situation at all. Instead, a ten-month old was murdered by blunt force trauma to the head. It was the fourth infant homicide in Memphis this year.

Even though it wasn't a newborn abandonment, I thought I would still mention the fact that Tennessee has a Safe Haven law for those who might not know about it. Basically, you have 72 hours after the birth of a baby to surrender it in person at a hospital or clinic. The process is confidential and you can remain completely anonymous. Click here to read more about Tennessee's Safe Haven law.

I can't believe that November has already arrived. This, of course, means that Thanksgiving is nearly here, which will soon be followed by Christmas, and then New Years, and --

Okay, enough. One holiday at a time. So as I was saying, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. If you have not already started making plans for your Turkey dinner, you probably won't want to wait much longer. On the other hand, you could make it easy on yourself and take the family out to one of the many restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving in Memphis.

Want to make them think you slaved over the hot stove? Several restaurants and stores in the Memphis area offer a complete Thanksgiving dinner to go and you won't have to admit that you didn't cook it yourself! With all of the holidays approaching so quickly, you might as well make something a little easier.

Photo by Donald Cook