AJC Watchdog: 5 investigations you may have missed

Who had "Spotlight" in their Oscar pool?  The surprise Best Picture win has the AJC's watchdog staff beaming.

Taking a cue from our Hollywood friends, it's time to grab some popcorn and catch up on the best investigative journalism from the AJC.

** EMBARGOED AT THE REQUEST OF THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES FOR USE UPON CONCLUSION OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS TELECAST ** Tom McCarthy, left, and Josh Singer pose with the award for best original screenplay for “Spotlight” in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Credit: Chris Joyner

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Credit: Chris Joyner

Race, voting and education are tied up in a lawsuit in rural Emanuel County where a lawsuit has been filed alleging that black voters were packed into a single school board district to lessen their influence over the county schools.  "Some of my best friends are black people," the white school board chairman countered. Read more here.

The state is facing high employee turnover rates in some of its most critical areas, like public health nurses and prison guards. Gov. Nathan Deal has put some money in his budget proposal to boost pay, but one lawmaker says it's just "lip service." Read more here.

Do you have an unpaid traffic ticket? A new state law allows the Department of Revenue to deduct unpaid fines from your income tax return. Read more here.

DeKalb County commissioners have received subpoenas from the state ethics commission seeking information about secret bank accounts held by the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce. The commission is investigating whether the accounts should be considered unreported campaign spending. Read more in the AJC Watchdog column here.

It's Crossover Day in the General Assembly, the last day bills for bills to pass at least one chamber or be considered dead -- "zombie" bills notwithstanding. Expect it to be a long day with legislators pulling out all the stops to get their favored bills moving. Get ready with a quick video primer here.