LAS VEGAS  -- Casino operator MGM Mirage is pledging to quickly pay some 600 subcontractors who helped build the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip.

Bobby Baldwin, the company's chief design and construction officer who oversaw the project, said at a Wednesday meeting with Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons that paying the subcontractors is the right thing to do.

The meeting comes one day after MGM Mirage invited subcontractors to a June 9 meeting at the Aria Resort & Casino, the centerpiece of CityCenter.

MGM Mirage has been embroiled in a dispute with its general contractor, Perini Building Co., over the final amount due for CityCenter's construction. Perini says MGM Mirage owes $490 million while MGM Mirage says it owes far less.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas continues to hang onto its reign as the number 1 trade show destination by hosting the largest shows in North America for 16 consecutive years.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas hosted 45 of the 200  biggest shows, which is twice as much as what any other city hosted.

"Billions of dollars have been invested in the facilities, amenities, and service to make Las Vegas the premier convention destination and that collaborative effort continues to pay dividends," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the LVCVA.

The largest show hosted in Las Vegas in 2009 was the Consumer Electronics Show.

LAS VEGAS -- Harrah's Entertainment made good on its promise that hundreds of people would walk out of their job fair Wednesday with real offers.

The job fair was one of the largest seen in Las Vegas for some time and it's estimated that more than 5,000 people showed up in hopes of finding employment.

People started lining up at 4 a.m. at the Rio in anticipation of the job fair and by the day's end, more than 200 people had been hired.

"March 5th I got laid off. So, I'm excited. I was up at 4 a.m. getting primped and pressed and got my smile on and now I'm here and it paid off. I got a job," said an excited Dolphina Griffin, who got a job as a receptionist at Planet Hollywood.

The difficulty of finding a job was never more evident than in the long line that stretched all the way around the Rio resort. It took hours for people to get one-on-one interviews.