On Facebook, Rusty Quarters' owners responded to meeting their fundraising goal with this message: "HOLY PAC-MAC PELLETS!!!!!!!!"

Last spring, Rusty Quarters needed to raise $3,000 in a short period of time to stay open. That donation drive was successful, but just a year later, Annie and Sage Spirtos, the wife-and-husband owners of the Lyn-Lake arcade, had to climb a steeper mountain to keep their fledging business afloat.

SEE ALSO: Voicemail warns Treehouse Records about offending half its customers with 'Vote No' signs [AUDIO]

In early March, citing high rent and declining business, the couple announced they needed to raise $8,000 by the end of May. The deadline was later moved up a month, and in recent days it looked as though Annie and Sage might fall just short. But last night, with just hours to spare, the fundraising goal was reached, and as of this morning Rusty Quarters had raised $8,520 with 19 hours still left in their Indiegogo campaign.

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Malak was convicted of crossing the line during two massages, and as a result he now finds himself back in the actual Land of Pharaohs.

Amir Abd El Malak, owner of Stillwater's Land of Pharaohs massage parlor, has been deported after he was sentenced to 10 years' probation for fondling female clients.

SEE ALSO: Isabel Diaz-Castillo, alleged south Mpls baby snatcher, is in U.S. illegally, may be deported

In January, a jury convicted Malak, 37, of two counts of felony criminal sexual conduct in connection with the 2012 incidents.

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Kim Insley on Twitter

The dramatic blaze, which is now under control, resulted in a couple blocks of Chicago Avenue being closed this morning.

The Chicago Avenue Deli, located at 25th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis, went up in flames overnight.

SEE ALSO: Massive Uptown fire engulfs building near Lake Street and Irving Avenue [PHOTOS] [VIDEO]

A fire at the building was first reported at about 3:30 a.m., with the blaze intensifying a couple of hours later. Though the precise extent of the damage isn't clear at this point, it certainly looks as though the building is a complete loss.

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Primebar's no-good-very-bad run in Calhoun Square makes Il Gatto look like a smashing success by comparison.

A lawsuit filed by the owner of Calhoun Square alleges that management of the recently failed Primebar location didn't pay rent almost from the day the bar and restaurant opened and intentionally damaged the property when it closed for good last month after just eight months in business.

SEE ALSO: 350-pound Wisconsin man picketing restaurant after he's cut off during all-you-can-eat fish fry

The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages, including more than $250,000 in unpaid rent.

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WePay

Fired from Chi-Lake, these five want your help so they can continue their struggle to get their jobs back.

Earlier this month, five workers at Chicago Lake Liquors were fired days after petitioning management for higher wages.

THE BACKSTORY: Chicago Lake Liquors employees petition for raises; five fired two days later

They haven't given up their fight to get their jobs back. Last Saturday evening, they held a picket action outside the store, and they've also filed a wrongful termination claim with the National Labor Relations Board that they hope could result in their reinstatement. But in the meantime, they're broke.

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Berg (left) says he was devastated and unemployed after his HIV diagnosis. HIs luck took a turn for the better when he was hired at Bar Louie -- or so he thought.

Dylan Berg has sued Uptown's Bar Louie for the way he was treated after he told a manager he has HIV.

SEE ALSO: Hennepin County jailer died after attack by mentally ill, HIV-infected inmate

Berg, 30, was diagnosed with HIV last summer. A month later, he was hired at Bar Louie, but his tenure there didn't last long.

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Snow Arch Films screengrabs (watch the Snow Arch film about Saturday's picketing here)

Wallace (left) argues Chi-Lake management acted illegally in firing her and four coworkers.

At the end of the workday on Saturday, March 30, 13 employees at Chicago Lakes Liquors presented their general manager with a petition asking that all of the 25 or so employees at the store receive raises.

:::: UPDATE :::: Fired Chicago Lake Liquors workers create website soliciting donations

When five of the workers who signed the petition showed up to work two days later, they were fired. According to two of them -- Hallie Wallace and Max Specktor -- four of the five were given no explanation for their termination beyond being told by management that their employment at the store no longer made business sense. Wallace admits she was two hours late on the day she was fired, though she attributed that to a miscommunication about her schedule.

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"Lots of people love Rusty Quarters, but if they don't play, we can't exist," Annie Spirtos told City Pages last year. That comment still holds true.

:::: UPDATE :::: Rusty Quarters Arcade meets fundraising goal with hours to spare, will stay open

Annie and Sage Spirtos -- the wife-and-husband owners and operators of Lyn-Lake's Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade -- would prefer people come to 818 West Lake Street and spend their money playing games. But since that hasn't happened as much as they need it to in recent months, they've again turned to a donation drive in hopes of keeping their fledgling business open.

SEE ALSO: Rusty Quarters' donation drive raises $3,000, keeps arcade alive

For the second time in a calendar year, Annie and Sage need to meet a fundraising goal on a tight deadline. Last year, they successfully raised $3,000 between May and June. This year, they're hoping to raise $8,000 by the end of May. If they can't do it, they say they'll have no choice but to close.

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Religious non-profits are exempt from Obamacare's preventative services mandate, but for-profit companies like the one owned by Hall (pictured) aren't.

Greg Hall is a Roman Catholic deacon in Houston. He's also the owner of the St. Joseph, Minnesota-based American Manufacturing Company.

SEE ALSO:
-- Republicans sound the trumpet as Obamacare contributes to St. Jude's Minnesota layoffs
-- Supreme Court upholds Obamacare: Top 10 Twin Cities tweets
-- Bachmann: Contraception mandate step toward one-child policy [VIDEO]

But Hall might not own his 42-employee company for too much longer. Yesterday, he filed suit against the federal government over Obamacare's "preventative services" mandate. If he can't get an exception from the requirement that employee-offered health care plans must include contraceptive coverage, he says he'll have no choice but to consider shutting down his business.


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Hopefully the new owners bring back the old rockin' CD jukebox.

News that the French Meadow was on the cusp of buying the CC Club was the worst kept secret ever, and earlier this week, a source told City Pages that news of the sale would be announced to employees during a Wednesday afternoon staff meeting.

SEE ALSO:
-- French Meadow buys CC Club parking lot, but owner Lynn Gordon says bar isn't closing
-- CC Club owner dispels rumors, says bar is not being sold or closing

Yesterday, in hopes of confirming the sale before the meeting, we called Linda Rauen, one of the CC Club's three co-owners. Suffice it to say she wasn't interested in talking.

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