• The winner of last’s week’s Manhattan Short Film Festival was the Israeli short, “Offside.” The film revolved around an uneasy truce between warring Arabs and Jews that comes about because of a soccer match broadcast over the radio. The festival showcased 12 short films from directors all over the globe and took place at Studio 653 in The Atrium of Shands Jacksonville, the Jacksonville venue’s title sponsor this year. Viewers watched the films and then voted on their favorite at the end of the presentation.
• City Council member Mia Jones, along with the administration at Shands Jacksonville and faculty from the University of Florida, will officially open the Shands Jacksonville Soutel Wellness and Education Center and the Soutel Family Practice and Pediatric Center Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. There will be free health screenings for those who attend.
• Former Council member Faye Rustin was at City Hall Thursday meeting with Council member Warren Alvarez. When asked what she was doing these days, Rustin said, “A lot of things but nothing that pays.”
• St. Augustine is preparing for Halloween, and there are plenty of ghost stories to be told. Ghost Tours of St. Augustine has two one-hour tours scheduled. Murders, Myths and Monsters begins at Cathedral and St. George Streets and concludes inside the Potter’s Wax Museum. A Ghostly Experience begins south of the City Gates and includes visits to two cemeteries. There’s also a trolley ride of “Ghosts and Legends” and a boat ride aboard the 72-foot schooner Freedom for Ghost of the Matanzas. Pricing and tour times are available at 461-1009 or online at ghosttoursofstaugustine.com.
• Speaking of Halloween, the zoo’s Spooktacular VIP party is Oct. 22 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the zoo picnic grounds.
• There’s a new director of the spa and salon at The Spa at Amelia Island Plantation. Bill Di Stanisloa joined the resort this month and has 18 years in the industry.
• RonWood Realty, a development company whose partners include Lockwood Holmes and City Council member Ronnie Fussell, has relocated its offices. The new office is on Normandy Boulevard.
• The 2006 National Association of Realtors Profile of Real Estate Firms: An Industry Overview will be released Saturday. The report provides detailed analysis of the business characteristics and activity of real estate firms, as well as information about technology and training that firms have embraced. More than 39,000 firms were surveyed across the nation.
• Tickets are on sale for the 16th Annual First Coast Classic Dancesport Championship. The pro/am ballroom and Latin dance competition will be held at the Hyatt next weekend. More than $80,000 in prize money will be awarded during the weekend. The event will also be the site of the first-ever World Masters Title Pro/Am competition held in the United States. Spectator tickets for afternoon and evening competitions start at $20, dinner and dance tickets for each evening of the competition begin at $75. For more information, call 338-9219 or visit www.firstcoastclassic.com.
• The owners of the Rose Perfumes shop are making some staff changes and bringing in new inventory for the holiday gift-giving season. But in the meantime if you’d like to buy a business, the shop is for sale, according to a spokesperson at the Landing.