Presented by Rally Built Homes

Morning, Druid Hills and North Decatur! Emory's on a roll this week, snapping up Georgia's only proton therapy center for nine figures while also carving out a new executive health clinic just off Clifton Road. Add in a jazz festival descending on Piedmont Park, a Tucker brewery opening announcement, and a stack of school district policy talk, and there's plenty to catch up on before your week gets going.

- News — Emory's $100M+ proton therapy acquisition headlines a week that also brought a $75M DeKalb housing bond and a judge fighting to stay on the bench.
- Business — StillFire Brewing is bringing its taproom concept to Tucker's downtown this fall, joining locations in Smyrna and Suwanee.
- Events — The 44 Live Jazz Festival takes over Piedmont Park Saturday (bring patience for parking), with EATS Fest, a flamenco showcase, and library and Fernbank programming filling out the week.
- Government — DeKalb's school board is quietly reshaping policy on AI use and campus police interrogations, with a final vote still weeks away.
- Construction — Emory's carving out a new medical clinic on Clifton Road, Barnes & Noble's plumbing overhaul is wrapping up, and two signal/lane upgrades are underway near Lavista.

Let's dive in.

NEWS

Georgia's only proton therapy center sold to Emory for over $100 million
Emory University has acquired Georgia's sole proton therapy cancer treatment center in a deal valued at over $100 million, expanding Emory Healthcare's radiation oncology capabilities.

Decide DeKalb approves $75 million for major housing bond program
Decide DeKalb Development Authority approved a $75 million taxable revenue bond issuance as part of its larger $155 million Housing Investment Bond Program aimed at workforce and affordable housing across DeKalb County.

Emory researcher leads study using AI to predict cardiovascular risk in women
Dr. Hari Trivedi of Emory University led a retrospective study showing how artificial intelligence can analyze mammogram breast tissue to identify early indicators of cardiovascular disease risk in women.

DeKalb judge can stay on cases after DA alleges 'bias,' fellow judge rules
A DeKalb County Superior Court judge denied District Attorney Sherry Boston's motion to remove a fellow judge from criminal cases, despite allegations that the judge improperly threatened to jail Boston and two assistant district attorneys.

BUSINESS

StillFire Brewing - opening - StillFire Brewing, which already operates locations in Smyrna and Suwanee, is planning a fall opening for a new location in nearby Tucker's growing downtown.

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!

EVENTS | Presented by

Peace of Mind Recycling is your one stop shop for a convenient and affordable way to make sure your recyclables actually get… recycled! With Atlanta's city recycling services your guess is as good as ours in regards to what actually gets recycled. We document where we take your glass, metal, electronics & everything else so you can rest assured it's going to the good place 100% of the time.

Monday, August 3
- Fall Quarter Class Registration | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Story Time | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- What's Your Favorite Fox Theatre Memory? | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- English as a Second Language (ESL) | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County

Tuesday, August 4
- Weekday Winning: Toco Tuesdays | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Book Discussion Group | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- JWY 02 - Beginning/Intermediate Jewelry & Metalsmithing (Mujtaba) | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- TEX 01 - Floor Loom Weaving - Weaver's Choice or Project From the Weaving Hat (Edmisten) | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

Wednesday, August 5
- Dekalb PD Town Hall 1 of 2 | Medlock Area Neighborhood Association
- Meet a Ranger | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Dino Talk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Thursday, August 6
- JWY 11 - Veterans Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design (Gindler) | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

Friday, August 7
- Fisheye | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Family Nature Walk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Friday Movies | Avis Williams Library - DeKalb County
- DAP 06 - Advanced Watercolor (Matthews) | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Chamblee Rocks Summer Concert Series: Summer Finale | City of Chamblee
- Screen on the Square: Zootopia 2 | Downtown Decatur Square

Saturday, August 8
- EATS Fest | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Atlanta Flamenco Festival 2026 Flagship Concerts | Performing Arts Studio
- ATL Startup Hackathon 2026!!! | Emory University
- Blackfoot Daisy | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- REINSTATE PLUTO | Napoleon's Grill
- The Stage Play: Men Lies & Secrets | Londzell Performing Arts Theatre
- 44 Live Jazz Festival | Piedmont Park

Sunday, August 9
- O God My Heart is Ready: Closing & Artist Talk | Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
- Birds Georgia Forest Walk | Fernbank Museum of Natural History
- Hamstrings | Wild Heaven Toco Hills
- Live Animal Encounter | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

DeKalb County School District Policy Committee
The district's Policy Committee met on July 30 to review a batch of policies that could reshape daily life in DeKalb schools. Board members discussed a new policy on artificial intelligence use by students and staff, along with a "Safe Space to Learn" policy that would set rules for how law enforcement can interrogate students on campus. They also went over proposed literacy goals, updated internet acceptable use guidelines, and rules for how students get assigned to schools. None of these policies received a final vote yet since this was a review session, not a decision meeting. The committee will take them up again on August 26, so expect more concrete outcomes then.

CONSTRUCTION | Presented by

If you’re thinking about a residential renovation to create a space that’s comfortable, memorable, and personalized for you, look no further than Rally Built Homes. Learn more here.

Permits

1525 Clifton Rd NE — Emory's converting the entire 5th floor of an existing 6-story building into a new executive health medical clinic. Interior work only, but it's a sign Emory keeps growing its medical presence on Clifton Road.

1945 C Ridgewood Dr NE — New fire sprinkler systems are going into Emory's Graduate Student Housing Phase II building. Construction on this project is still active, so expect ongoing work near campus.

855 Emory Point Dr NE — Routine heat pump and air handler swap for Unit #5321. Nothing disruptive here.

Barnes & Noble, Emory Point — A $414,540 plumbing permit just closed out, covering two restrooms, a fountain, and a breakroom. Build-out work at the store is wrapping up.

1634 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — A multi-family building is replacing three windows like-for-like, no structural changes involved. Simple maintenance, no impact on the street.

569 Asbury Cir NE — A permit for an interior beverage station just got issued near Emory's campus. Small-scale commercial buildout.

Ravenwood Way — A $500,000 new single-family home just got its permit closed out. A brand new house is going up on this lot.

Beyond these, 56 smaller residential and business permits came through this week, totaling about $519,000. Most are routine, single-family updates, a few electrical jobs, and a couple of apartment permits. Nothing there signals major construction or noise you'd need to plan around.

Road Work

Under Construction
- Lavista Rd. Eastbound at Clairmont Rd. Left Turn Lane Extension — Crews are extending the left turn lane where Lavista meets Clairmont, just off your daily route if you drive through this stretch.
- Lavista & Shepherds Lane Signal Upgrade — GDOT is upgrading the traffic signal at this intersection. Watch for temporary signal patterns or flaggers directing traffic while the work continues.

Want to sponsor us? Submit here

Want to alter your neighborhood selections? Submit here

Want to promote an event? Submit here

Until next week,
Druid Hills / North Decatur Busybody

Disclaimer: We use advanced data retrieval and analysis techniques across hundreds of sources, and may be prone to occasional error. Independently verify information with a secondary source, and please let us know if we got anything wrong via the feedback form.