HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett says he's met with the chairmen of Western Pennsylvania's biggest insurer, Highmark, and its dominant hospital system, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Corbett said he asked them during a Tuesday meeting to put aside a bitter disagreement and work together in good faith to protect consumers as the companies' contract nears an end.

Highmark subscribers stand to lose in-network access to UPMC doctors and hospitals when the contract ends Dec. 31, meaning they'd pay higher rates. Highmark is required to tell state regulators by July 1 whether it has secured a new contract with UPMC.

PITTSBURGH — Ford and H.J. Heinz are teaming up on research to turn tomato skins into auto parts.According to a joint news release, scientists at both companies believe they can use tomato fibers to manufacture composite materials used for wiring brackets, or storage bins in cars instead of petroleum-based plastics.Ford says it began working with Heinz, Coca-Cola, Nike and Procter & Gamble to speed up attempts to create a “a 100 percent plant-based plastic to be used to make everything from fabric to packaging.”Meanwhile, Heinz was looking to recycle the leftover parts of the two million tons of tomatoes Heinz uses to make ketchup each year. The companies say the technology has been validated, but still needs to be refined.

HARRISBURG — State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says he plans to conduct a performance audit of Pennsylvania's 14-state-owned universities. DePasquale said Tuesday the comprehensive review will cover the three-year period ending June 30.He says his auditors plan to examine everything from the process that the State System of Higher Education uses to set tuition rates to the policies on sexual assaults on campus. He says he wants to consider every option for keeping the universities affordable for middle-class families.About 112,000 students attend the universities in Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.

WASHINGTON — U.S. companies advertised more jobs in April than in any month in six and a half years, a possible harbinger of strong hiring in the months ahead.Employers posted nearly 4.5 million jobs, up strongly from 4.2 million in March, the Labor Department said Tuesday. It's the largest number of job listings since September 2007.Companies have been slow to fill openings since the recession ended, so the increase won't automatically lead to more jobs. The report showed that the number of jobs filled in April, 4.7 million, was largely unchanged from March. In the past year, job postings have jumped 16.5 percent, while hiring has risen just 6 percent.