Joe Corcoran

A lone bank robber held up the PBI Bank on Fairview Avenue just after 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Employees say the man entered the bank and passed a note to the teller demanding money. After the teller complied, the man left with an undisclosed amount of money on foot walking north into the neighborhood behind the bank.

He's described as a white male, 5'6" to 5'9", average build, wearing a long black overcoat, a dark colored pullover sweater, a white button-up collared shirt, black gloves and a black knit hats. Witnesses say he appeared unshaven.

One customer was present during the robbery. There were no injuries.

This is the third bank robbery in Bowling Green so far this year.

Statistics show cases of hepatitis C have exploded in northern Kentucky. Due to the increase, the Independent Health Department District is offering free blood testing to anyone concerned about the chronic blood-borne disease that affects the liver. The department is also encouraging people in high-risk groups to get tested.

The area had 23 cases of acute hepatitis C in 2010, 42 in 2011 and 44 in 2012. Officials have said the heroin epidemic in the area is likely a factor in the increase.

Health department spokeswoman Emily Gresham Wherle said anyone who tests positive for the disease will be provided with counseling, education and care options. She says the health department also hopes to get a better understanding of the prevalence of the problem.

Kobe Automotive Products plans to invest more than $66 million in their plant at the South Industrial Park for both a building expansion and new equipment.

In November, the company announced an $11 million investment for an additional 39,000 square feet of space and up to 20 new jobs. That expansion is now complete.

Most of Kobe's new investment, $44.2 million, will go toward purchasing new equipment to expand their product line of forged aluminum suspension products. In addition, $20 million will be spent on a new building project. There was no mention of any new jobs being created by the expansion.

This is an entry by WKYU-FM in the category of Continuing Coverage for the 2013 PRNDI awards.

This entry contains a feature report and two interviews done by WKYU-FM's Joe Corcoran.

In 2012, WKU graduate and former swimmer Claire Donahue had a great chance at qualifying for the U.S. Olympic women's swim team. In the first part of our entry, Joe put together a preview piece on all the work Claire had done to prepare for Olympic qualifying in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The second part is an interview with Claire the day after she qualified for the U.S. team.

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander's reelection campaign announced four upcoming fundraising events that he predicted would add more than $3 million to his $1 million war chest. Politico is reporting observers see the announcement as a way to scare off would-be conservative primary challengers.

Fellow Republican Tennessee Senator Bob Corker will host the first fundraiser at his house in Chattanooga in April. The others will be in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis. The 72-year-old Alexander, who is seeking his third term, has been seeking out so-called "bundlers". Ten supporters have already agreed to raise $100,000. The campaign is trying to get 25 others to agree to bring in at least $50,000.

Alexander has been aggressive about shoring up support early. In December he named five Republicans in the House delegation, Governor Bill Haslam and Speaker Beth Harwell as co-chairmen.