Latest news with #Worthen
Boston Globe
17-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Lowell's Worthen House Cafe is a bar where everybody knows your name, including Jack Kerouac and Edgar Allan Poe
In recent years, the friendly tavern has endured thanks to the Hamourgas family, locals who took over in 2001. Today, Dracut's Penelope Hamourgas, 40, runs the business alongside her mom, Penny, with the help of her younger sister — and a friendly young ghost. Advertisement The Worthen House on Worthen Street in downtown Lowell. Handout Tell me about the Worthen. My parents bought the Worthen in 2001. My father was a musician. When the Worthen was for sale, I think he saw it as a perfect opportunity to bridge together everything that we're about. Our background is in the hospitality business. We own a travel company down the street. We used to own a club in Greece — we're Greek. We have a little bit of Greek-Irish fusion happening at the Worthen, which is awesome. Hospitality, food, and entertainment is what we're about. It seemed like a logical next step. And here we are, 24 years later, and hopefully for the next 24 years. Who's the Worthen Baby? Long story short: My mother was told she could never have kids again after multiple miscarriages. She was almost 40 years old. Advertisement The previous [Worthen] owner was selling in order to start a family. Then, two weeks after passing papers, my mother finds out she's pregnant with my sister. She's the Worthen miracle baby. She's going to be 23. We have an 18-year difference. My mother is very adamant about her spending some time in corporate America first, and then coming over. She works here part time. Let's talk about TV. How did the 'America's Best Restaurants' appearance come about? Apparently 'America's Best Restaurants' is either via nomination from a customer, or the show goes out and actively seeks out different places. They reached out in October and said we'd been nominated. They really promoted it on social media and different marketing channels; then, last week, they came to visit us live. I felt like I was getting married again: pictures everywhere. We had to feature three different menu items, and then J [Russell], the host of the show, would try them and talk about them. Then we did a little story on the history of the Worthen, which was established in 1898, so it's a pretty old place. It's the oldest [bar] in Lowell, and one of the oldest in Massachusetts. My Nana went to high school with Jack Kerouac, and I know he used to hang out here. What role does the Worthen play in the community now? The Worthen is a place where everyone has gathered, all types of people: literary greats, actors, musicians, poets, mill workers, blue-collar workers, all walks of life, all ages. It's a local gathering place. We always say that you can walk in and leave with a friend. We've had many people meet their lifelong partners here, and this continues to happen to this day. That spirit is still carried over, a century later. Advertisement Of the notable patrons, there's Kerouac and Edgar Allan Poe. Come October, we're going to have sort of a mini-museum upstairs with three rooms. There's going to be a room dedicated to Poe and one to Kerouac. You'll be able to find the scroll of 'On the Road' and some other Kerouac-oriented items. Then we're going to have another room dedicated to Matthew, our friendly ghost. Tell me about your ghost. Our ghost is a little 10-year-old boy who fell down the stairs and died. Our stairs are very, very steep. He died back in the late 1800s. The lights will randomly shut off, the water will start running, random things happen out of the blue. His spirit continues to be with us. How has the spirit of the city changed over time? I think that we're having a resurgence now because many people from the city have moved out to Lowell. That eclectic, younger, fun crowd is in Lowell right now. We have the artists, the college students, the longtime locals, random visitors, tourists. I think people are looking to feel comfortable, to be in a space where they can be themselves, where they can find a little bit of everything, and everyone feels like they're part of something. It's funny. J, the host of 'America's Best Restaurants,' is from Arizona. He said, 'This city is amazing. Within a half-hour of being here, I've seen Asians, Latinos, African Americans, such a wide range of people. In Arizona, everything is just so dry, and everything is the same.' I do think there's definitely a fusion in Lowell that you're not getting everywhere. Advertisement Tell me about some of the local characters. Who's your most memorable customer? Maybe Cliff. Cliff is a special person. He's a nurse. He comes to the Worthen after his shift. He's on the board of the Kerouac Foundation. He helps organize all their events. He's a big literature lover. He just brings people together, a local. There's Eddie Murphy, Dan Bacon, Tommy the Firefighter. God, there's a giant list of regulars. How would you describe the Worthen on a typical day? You can talk to people about anything. The Worthen is a place that transforms any day. You could be having the worst day of your life, but once you walk through those doors, and you just sit and have a drink with all these people, it doesn't matter who you are. Nothing outside matters in that moment. … It could be your best day. It could be your worst day. Everyone is just here together. How does your family cultivate that atmosphere, or did you inherit it? I think it's something that we partly built. Our background is in hospitality. We're Greek, and Greek people are typically warm and friendly, as are the Irish. I think it's a great marriage of that Greek-Irish vibe. I think the main thing, though, is the people who work here, our staff, our team at the Worthen, is exceptional. We have such low turnover. Some have been there a very long time, either through word of mouth or through just walking in and applying — but they're very good. We really have a good thing going. Advertisement Tell me a little bit about the food. The kitchen is subleased to Charr'd Grill. It's essentially a business operating within the business, but it's a partnership. [Chef] Chris DeMato owns his kitchen in there, and he features mainly American, pub-style food. We have great burgers, classic burgers, like the Whistler's Mother. The Whistler House Museum is right down the street, so this is a burger that pays homage. Another dish that we've had as a special but needs to go on permanently is the Mill Rib. It's a play on McDonald's McRib. Our drinks used to be mostly beer and wine, and now we have many craft cocktails and local beers. We have an amazing espresso martini. Times have changed. When we make our margaritas, we make our own mix. We try to do as much homemade food as possible. The Whistler's Mother, a burger topped with onion rings and barbecue sauce, is a Worthen signature. Handout What's your go-to order? Whistler's Mother. I love burgers. I love meat. It has onion rings, barbecue sauce, cheese, and bacon, and then you can put lettuce, tomato, whatever you want, onions. … I'm a hard-core meat-eater. I eat way too much meat. Where do you hang out when you're not working? What Lowell businesses do you love? Cobblestones, down the street. I have two young kids right now, so it's a little tough for me to get out at night. I used to go to the Old Court quite a bit, and The Keep is another good one. Egg Roll Cafe is great, and Tasty Dumplings. I love Asian food. These are all new in the area. Koto is another one for good sushi. And the famous country singer Zach Bryan, who's a big Kerouac lover, Advertisement What Lowell business do you miss the most? The Olympia, a Greek restaurant. The owner passed away a few months ago. Do you ever feel like you might be hosting the next Jack Kerouac at your bar? At the open mic nights, there's a lot of talent — I don't necessarily know about on the literary side, but there are definitely very talented musicians in here. What do you wish more people knew about Lowell? That it's a much friendlier place than it appears on the outside. I think some people might have the idea that Lowell is a little rough around the edges. Lowell is like comfort food. It's a place where you're not going to be judged; you're going to find anything you want. You can just feel at home. It's not stuffy, it's not pretentious. I wish people knew more about it. I'll tell you: I was the first person, years ago, to say, 'I'm definitely moving.' Now, you couldn't pay me to move, because I feel invested in the community, invested in the business and making people feel good. People hear about the Worthen and they light up, and that's a really good feeling. Interview was edited and condensed. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii tour boat operator allegedly faked credentials
A tour boat operator involved in a snorkeling accident that injured 10 people in June 2022 is facing federal charges after he allegedly stole personal identifying information to fake his credential for more than a decade, according to federal court records. Jeffrey Scott Worthen, 61, worked on tour boats in Alaska and Maui since the late 1990s and allegedly stole the identities of a boat captain, a business owner and an ex-girlfriend to create fake federal credentials that allowed him to get work. Worthen needed a 'Merchant Mariner Credential, ' a U.S. Coast Guard issued credential that serves as the mariner's 'qualification document, certificate of identification, and certificate of service ' and must be produced when requested to prove the ability to work on the water. The credential is not valid until signed by the applicant and an authorized Coast Guard official. Worthen is charged with fraud within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., aggravated identity theft and making false statements to federal investigators, according to a March 27 criminal complaint. He allegedly submitted fraudulent MMC cards to his employers in Alaska and Hawaii from 2012 to 2022, according to federal court documents. On June 9, 2022, the 26-foot rigid hull inflatable 'Great White ' owned and operated by Hawaii Ocean Rafting of Lahaina, was underway with 15 passengers and two crew members, including Worthen at the helm and a deckhand. At about 10 :22 a.m. that morning while en route to a second snorkel site, Worthen 'attempted to pass through a section of water between Sweetheart Rock and another rocky pinnacle near Lanai when the vessel struck a rock, ' according to an affidavit authored by special agent with the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Five passengers were ejected overboard into the water, and nine passengers and a deckhand were injured. The damage to the vessel resulted in flooding. After recovering all passengers from the water, passengers and crew members donned life jackets and started waving down other boats because the radio didn't work. Two vessels responded and took the passengers back to Lahaina Harbor. As part of the Coast Guard's investigation of the crash, they asked for the company's personnel records, which included credential checks. Investigators identified 'several major discrepancies ' with the MMC Worthen shared with Hawaii Ocean Rafting's owners. They included a profile picture not within policy ; the MMC's document reference and serial number were assigned to a different person ; Worthen's personal information not in capitalized letters ; the Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections name and signature were not the applicable person, and standard watermarks and holograms used on properly issued MMCs were faded, according to the affidavit. A check of the serial number revealed it belonged to a man in Maryland and the document number belonged to a boat captain in Alaska that Worthen worked with doing whale watching tours. During an interview with investigators on Sept. 14, 2022, Worthen allegedly said he 'renewed his MMC online ' through the Coast Guard's Portal and 'uploaded all information and his picture, which was taken by him in his bedroom.' 'He denied the MMC copies being false and signed the copies presented, as true copies of his MMC. Additionally, Worthen stated he lost his MMC overboard during the incident and that he had thrown away all prior MMC's. He had been working on commercial vessels in Maui and Alaska since the 1990s, ' according to the affidavit. Worthen is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Thursday before Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Naka mura is prosecuting the case. Worthen is represented by the office of the Federal Public Defender.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii tour boat operator allegedly faked credentials
A tour boat operator involved in a snorkeling accident that injured 10 people in June 2022 is facing federal charges after he allegedly stole personal identifying information to fake his credential for more than a decade, according to federal court records. Jeffrey Scott Worthen, 61, worked on tour boats in Alaska and Maui since the late 1990s and allegedly stole the identities of a boat captain, a business owner and an ex-girlfriend to create fake federal credentials that allowed him to get work. Worthen needed a 'Merchant Mariner Credential, ' a U.S. Coast Guard issued credential that serves as the mariner's 'qualification document, certificate of identification, and certificate of service ' and must be produced when requested to prove the ability to work on the water. The credential is not valid until signed by the applicant and an authorized Coast Guard official. Worthen is charged with fraud within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., aggravated identity theft and making false statements to federal investigators, according to a March 27 criminal complaint. He allegedly submitted fraudulent MMC cards to his employers in Alaska and Hawaii from 2012 to 2022, according to federal court documents. On June 9, 2022, the 26-foot rigid hull inflatable 'Great White ' owned and operated by Hawaii Ocean Rafting of Lahaina, was underway with 15 passengers and two crew members, including Worthen at the helm and a deckhand. At about 10 :22 a.m. that morning while en route to a second snorkel site, Worthen 'attempted to pass through a section of water between Sweetheart Rock and another rocky pinnacle near Lanai when the vessel struck a rock, ' according to an affidavit authored by special agent with the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Five passengers were ejected overboard into the water, and nine passengers and a deckhand were injured. The damage to the vessel resulted in flooding. After recovering all passengers from the water, passengers and crew members donned life jackets and started waving down other boats because the radio didn't work. Two vessels responded and took the passengers back to Lahaina Harbor. As part of the Coast Guard's investigation of the crash, they asked for the company's personnel records, which included credential checks. Investigators identified 'several major discrepancies ' with the MMC Worthen shared with Hawaii Ocean Rafting's owners. They included a profile picture not within policy ; the MMC's document reference and serial number were assigned to a different person ; Worthen's personal information not in capitalized letters ; the Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections name and signature were not the applicable person, and standard watermarks and holograms used on properly issued MMCs were faded, according to the affidavit. A check of the serial number revealed it belonged to a man in Maryland and the document number belonged to a boat captain in Alaska that Worthen worked with doing whale watching tours. During an interview with investigators on Sept. 14, 2022, Worthen allegedly said he 'renewed his MMC online ' through the Coast Guard's Portal and 'uploaded all information and his picture, which was taken by him in his bedroom.' 'He denied the MMC copies being false and signed the copies presented, as true copies of his MMC. Additionally, Worthen stated he lost his MMC overboard during the incident and that he had thrown away all prior MMC's. He had been working on commercial vessels in Maui and Alaska since the 1990s, ' according to the affidavit. Worthen is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Thursday before Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Naka mura is prosecuting the case. Worthen is represented by the office of the Federal Public Defender.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tour boat operator allegedly faked credentials
A tour boat operator involved in a snorkeling accident that injured 10 people in June 2022 is facing federal charges after he allegedly stole personal identifying information to fake his credential for more than a decade, according to federal court records. Jeffrey Scott Worthen, 61, worked on tour boats in Alaska and Maui since the late 1990s and allegedly stole the identities of a boat captain, a business owner and an ex-girlfriend to create fake federal credentials that allowed him to get work. Worthen needed a 'Merchant Mariner Credential, ' a U.S. Coast Guard issued credential that serves as the mariner's 'qualification document, certificate of identification, and certificate of service ' and must be produced when requested to prove the ability to work on the water. The credential is not valid until signed by the applicant and an authorized Coast Guard official. Worthen is charged with fraud within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., aggravated identity theft and making false statements to federal investigators, according to a March 27 criminal complaint. He allegedly submitted fraudulent MMC cards to his employers in Alaska and Hawaii from 2012 to 2022, according to federal court documents. On June 9, 2022, the 26-foot rigid hull inflatable 'Great White ' owned and operated by Hawaii Ocean Rafting of Lahaina, was underway with 15 passengers and two crew members, including Worthen at the helm and a deckhand. At about 10 :22 a.m. that morning while en route to a second snorkel site, Worthen 'attempted to pass through a section of water between Sweetheart Rock and another rocky pinnacle near Lanai when the vessel struck a rock, ' according to an affidavit authored by special agent with the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Five passengers were ejected overboard into the water, and nine passengers and a deckhand were injured. The damage to the vessel resulted in flooding. After recovering all passengers from the water, passengers and crew members donned life jackets and started waving down other boats because the radio didn't work. Two vessels responded and took the passengers back to Lahaina Harbor. As part of the Coast Guard's investigation of the crash, they asked for the company's personnel records, which included credential checks. Investigators identified 'several major discrepancies ' with the MMC Worthen shared with Hawaii Ocean Rafting's owners. They included a profile picture not within policy ; the MMC's document reference and serial number were assigned to a different person ; Worthen's personal information not in capitalized letters ; the Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections name and signature were not the applicable person, and standard watermarks and holograms used on properly issued MMCs were faded, according to the affidavit. A check of the serial number revealed it belonged to a man in Maryland and the document number belonged to a boat captain in Alaska that Worthen worked with doing whale watching tours. During an interview with investigators on Sept. 14, 2022, Worthen allegedly said he 'renewed his MMC online ' through the Coast Guard's Portal and 'uploaded all information and his picture, which was taken by him in his bedroom.' 'He denied the MMC copies being false and signed the copies presented, as true copies of his MMC. Additionally, Worthen stated he lost his MMC overboard during the incident and that he had thrown away all prior MMC's. He had been working on commercial vessels in Maui and Alaska since the 1990s, ' according to the affidavit. Worthen is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Thursday before Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Naka mura is prosecuting the case. Worthen is represented by the office of the Federal Public Defender.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Extra bucks: Weber State freezes tuition, fee increases for students with fewer than 60 credit hours
Some good news for Fawn Worthen and thousands of other budget-minded Weber State students arrived just days after tuition hikes were reported at all eight of Utah's degree granting colleges and universities. The Ogden university has announced that it's pausing tuition and fee increases in the 2025-26 academic year for students with less than 60 credit hours. Almost half of Weber State University's full-time residents, including Worthen, are on the shy side of earning 60 credit hours — the number required to earn an associate degree. First- and second-year students who attend WSU in the fall and spring semester are expected to save $135 per year, according to the university. 'That's a modest start to what we hope will be even greater savings in the future,' said WSU President Brad Mortensen. 'We know that every dollar matters for our students, so we're hoping this pilot program can serve as a model for the state to follow and eventually get students saving closer to $1,000 per year.' A Layton native, Worthen is pursuing an associate degree in communications at WSU. Learning that she would have few extra bucks in her pocket to help pay for food, transportation and other student expenses was welcome news 'It's humbling,' Worthen told the Deseret News. 'It feels like we're being seen.' Last Friday, the Utah Board of Higher Education approved a 'sub-inflationary 2.23% systemwide weighted average increase' among the state's public colleges and universities. A resident undergraduate student at WSU taking 15 credits per semester during the 2025-2026 academic year should expect to pay $68 more than the previous academic year — a 1.03% increase. But tuition and fees increases will be frozen for WSU's lower division students with fewer than 60 credit hours, according to Monday's announcement. Mortensen points to studies revealing 'significant enrollment growth' when the cost of earning an associate degree was cut by $1,000. In a study published by University of Texas at Austin, researchers found that reducing community college tuition by $1,000 'increased enrollment in community college by 5.1 percentage points, roughly a 20% increase.' Weber State's partial tuition freeze comes as a result of its dual mission, which sees the university serving two distinct student populations: those pursuing two-year degrees and those pursuing four-year degrees, according to the university. Mortensen said tuition rates for the two populations should also be distinct in order to help remove cost barriers for those in their first two years of college. 'Getting an associate degree should be just as affordable at four-year colleges as it is at community colleges,' Mortensen said. WSU offers a variety of associate degrees — including an Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) — in a variety of disciplines such as entrepreneurship, communication and health sciences. For many Weber State students, an associate degree doubles as a pathway to a bachelor's degree. Others use their associate degree to launch their careers in specific fields. Utah Valley University and Utah Tech University are also dual-mission institutions. Weber State's decision to freeze tuition and fees for associate degrees comes at a financially turbulent moment in local academia. Along with Utah's seven other public degree-granting higher education institutions, WSU is developing a 'strategic reinvestment' plan required by the Legislature to reallocate millions to programs determined to be of highest value. Approximately $6.7 million of WSU's state-provided budget will have to be reallocated to implement its future reinvestment plan. WSU has assembled a committee of stakeholder groups including faculty representation from each of the university's colleges to navigate implementation of House Bill 265, according to a university information page dedicated to the reinvestment plan. That committee will examine criteria and identify potential cost saving in reallocating academic and student success programs to comply with the recently passed HB 265. Meanwhile, several key administrative positions at WSU have already been eliminated. WSU also announced a 'voluntary separation incentive program' for eligible employees in academic affairs. 'Ultimately, difficult decisions will need to be made that impact people and programs, and our goal is to avoid as many involuntary layoffs as possible,' according to a university site explaining the separation program. 'Offering a voluntary separation package early provides an option for those interested and helps inform our HB 265 planning process,' the site noted. This week's announcement of a tuition and fees freeze for students with less than 60 credit hours will impact legions of WSU students. For the current academic year, Weber State enjoyed the largest enrollment spike — 7.09% — of any Utah public college or university. And for the fourth consecutive year, Weber State welcomed its largest-ever student body in September. More than 32,400 students matriculated at the Ogden public university for the 2024 fall semester. Utah's flagship university, the University of Utah, experienced a 4.7% enrollment increase in 2024. Utah State University and Southern Utah University enrollment increased 2.98% and 2.73% percent, respectively. The Beehive State's largest community college, Salt Lake Community College, reported a 2.51% enrollment growth from last year.
