550 millionth Zippo lighter producedBRADFORD — A Pennsylvania company is celebrating the 550 millionth cigarette lighter to roll out of its factory.Zippo Manufacturing Co. in Bradford makes the iconic lighters with the metal cases and lids that “click.”The milestone lighter was made on Monday.The company celebrated its 80th anniversary by producing its 500 millionth lighter in June 2012.The company sells its lighters and other products in about 180 countries around the world.

CMU lands $11M in research contractsPITTSBURGH — Carnegie Mellon University says its robotics engineering center in Pittsburgh is flourishing a year after Uber Technologies hired away dozens of its researchers and scientists.The university Monday announced four federal research contracts worth $11 million.One contract calls for developing technology enabling wheels to transform into tracks. Vehicles could then traverse various terrains.Another contract calls for developing automation that would let aircraft operate with smaller crews.The San Francisco-based ride-hailing company hired four of the robotics center’s faculty and 36 technical staff last year. Officials say Uber is interested in self-driving technology.The computer science dean called the exodus a crisis.

VW’s top U.S. exec out amid scandalWASHINGTON — Volkswagen’s top U.S. executive is stepping down amid the company’s ongoing emissions cheating scandal, the company announced Wednesday.U.S. President and Chief Executive Michael Horn is leaving “to pursue other opportunities effective immediately,” the automaker said in a statement. He had been with the German automaker for 25 years, assuming his most recent post in 2014.Horn’s departure comes as the company continues to grapple with the fallout from its admission last year that nearly 600,000 cars were sold in the U.S. with software that regulators say was designed to cheat on required emissions tests.