The Week in Review

Lawsuits Begin in Indiana: The first lawsuit has been filed in the case of the collapsed stage at the Indiana State Fair, to the tune of $60 million, the Indianapolis Star reports. According to the newspaper, "The lawsuits are on behalf of a couple from Wanatah, Ind., who have been partners for 10 years and attended the show together. Only one left the Fairgrounds alive." The story also notes that the lawyer initiating the suit, Kenneth J. Allen, says "the lawsuits are just the first part of what will expand into a more complex case." The accident has claimed six lives so far, with a seventh person on life support. For more here.

More Deaths at Pukklepop: The number of deaths at the Pukklepop Festival in Belgium, where another stage collapsed last week, has risen to five, according to the New York Times. At least 140 people have been injured as well. Key quote: "Dr. Pascal Vranckx of Jessa Hospital in Hasselt said on Friday that many of those injured had been hit on the head by debris, and that three patients were in critical condition at the hospital, 'fighting for their lives.'

"'Those seriously injured have wounds caused by different objects which flew through the air, by debris and by trees,'" Dr. Vranckx said, according to an article published online Friday by La Libre Belgique. "'The people in a critical condition are suffering from head, chest and stomach wounds, which could cause hemorrhages.'" For more

Jobless in Vegas: Despite some job growth along the Vegas Strip, Nevada continues to post dismal unemployment numbers, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Key quote: "'It's pretty bad,' said Steve Brown, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 'Even though tourism, hospitality and gaming are doing well, we've actually lost jobs in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period a year ago. We're not yet really seeing a recovery that is extending throughout the entire Las Vegas economy."'

Also, reports, the newspaper, "Las Vegas posted a five percent gain in visitor volume in the first six months of 2011, and Nevada's gaming win spiked at an annual rate of 16 percent in May and June. Leisure and hospitality operators added 2.8 percent to their staffs statewide and 3.1 percent locally year over year in July. Those numbers could slacken if consumers nationwide, beset by economic uncertainty, rein in discretionary spending and force a second recession, McDonald said."

You can read more here

Caesar Entertainment Targets Thirtysomethings: Meet Linq, described by the website Vegas, Inc. as "a streetscape of more than 40 eateries, bars and entertainment venues built along an outdoor corridor between its Flamingo and O'Sheas casinos" being developed by Caesar Entertainment. According to the article, casino owners, worried that Baby Boomers are aging out of their best spending years, are now targeting younger audiences. Research shows, however, that the thirtysomething crowd wants something different.

Key quote: "For inspiration, they looked to established retail and entertainment districts around the country that were already popular with young people, like New York's Meatpacking District and the Grove in Los Angeles. Generation X and Y customers, the company found, didn't want to be cooped up in a fancy mall. Instead, they wanted to wander from one attraction to the next in a more natural and casual outdoor environment - a large-scale collection of outdoor-facing, non-gambling attractions that's common in other big cities but still doesn't exist on the Strip."

Linq has at least one distinctive Vegas touch, however: a 550'-high observation wheel known as the High Roller.

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