70-year-old sends first Father's Day card of her life
After her mother died of heart complications when Mertes was a baby, she was raised by her great aunt in San Diego. Mertes spent much of her adult life in Howard County, living in the county for 31 years, including 22 in Ellicott City.
She and her husband, Tom Mertes, who worked as a school bus driver in western Howard County, raised their two kids in Ellicott City and celebrated Father's Day with their own kids. But Mertes never knew who her father was. She assumed he was dead.
That all changed last Christmas when her husband gave her an AncestryDNA test kit. Mertes was surprised when a message from a third cousin popped up on her screen, claiming they were related through her father. After lots of research and letter writing, Mertes found out her father was 96-year-old Louis Frank Manly, and lived in Corning, Iowa.
Mertes, who now lives in York, Pennsylvania, made the trip to Iowa three weeks ago, on May 21, and was able to meet her father in person and give him a Father's Day card. She plans to travel there again in September so they can celebrate their birthdays, which are just a few days apart.
'I really feel like we are family now,' Mertes said.
Mertes' son, Brent Mertes, said he is thrilled for his mother.
'The odds of finding your father and finding out that he's still alive at that age is almost unbelievable,' Brent said. 'I think for me, just seeing the joy in my mother … to be able to go see him in person after 70 years is pretty amazing.'
Pam Mertes says she hopes to stay connected with her father and his family despite the distance between them.
'It was very shocking and emotional, and something I had never dreamed of, let alone thought it would happen,' Pam Mertes said. 'It was amazing.'
Have a news tip? Contact Kat Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.
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Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
People Are Sharing Which US States Have The Friendliest People, And I Didn't Expect Some Of These
Between Southern hospitality, Midwest Nice, and endless debates over being kind-but-not-nice or nice-but-not-kind, every state seems to have a reputation when it comes to friendliness. So when u/NewFeature asked, "Which US state has the friendliest people, and why?" the responses were all over the map, literally and emotionally. Here's what people across the country had to say about where they felt truly welcomed — and where they definitely didn't: 1."Wyoming, because there are no people there." —u/AnnDestroysTheWorld 2."No one is answering Alaska because fewer than a million people live here. It's a very friendly place, and as long as you do not stand in the middle of the road to take a picture, we love tourists." —u/PondRides 3."I have lived in Illinois, Colorado, and now New Mexico. Whenever family comes to visit us in New Mexico, they talk about how absolutely nice and welcoming everyone is here and how you do not see that back home (in Illinois, for example). So, I will say New Mexico." —u/question_girl617 4."New York. I was shocked. All my life, I heard about how mean and aggressive people in New York City and the state were. When I went, all I saw was kindness and compassion. Their language is curt and aggressive, but their actions are totally different. I saw a homeless guy accidentally tip over his shopping cart into the street. People rushed to help him, and though they were verbally irritated, they all helped him pick up his belongings and get back on the sidewalk." —u/Any_Pool1739 5."Vermont. Nice old grandpas." —u/Born-Professor6680 6."I have lived all over, and I have to say, despite their reputation, people who live in New York might be the most solid. The South has more 'neighborly' people, but they can be overly nice (or nosy) at times. I currently live in Los Angeles, and it's probably the worst, though." —u/WillOk6461 7."I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly people are in North Carolina." —u/joeasks 8."I have lived all over the US. I'm going to say Nebraska. Genuinely nice." —u/theAntidepresser 9."Hawaii — my wife and I were born there, and the people are amazingly friendly! Also quite friendly here in Oregon!" —u/Kalepa 10."I don't know, but it sure as hell isn't fucking Florida." —u/soupysyrup 11."I lived in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and now Florida, and visited most states in the Eastern half of the US, and some in the Western half. I would say Tennessee has the friendliest people. The worst are in Florida." —u/Whatstheplanpill 12."Michigan." —u/Fearless-Spread1498 13."Minnesota." —u/treetopalarmist_1 14."Southern Californians are definitely the most chill. You can walk into any bar, club, or restaurant and meet someone cool. I think the nicest, in terms of cookie-baking-grandma kind of niceness, is probably Maine." —u/GermanyIturbide 15."I have traveled to nearly all states multiple times for work. I would have to say Iowa. I've also done their bike ride across the state. They truly set the standard for nice." —u/crburger 16."I have lived in numerous places. Hawaii is the nicest place — assuming you adapt to it. I'm semi-serious when I say Hawaii is not part of the US. It has its own art, music, and outlook on life. You treat the locals with respect, and they're kind in return." —u/stjoe56 17."Wisconsin." —u/Acrobatic-Ad3010 18."Hawaii. I have lived in five or six different states and am notoriously antisocial, and Hawaii was the only place I've lived where I had legitimate friends — and not because of anything I had done. They are very community-oriented. Everyone is family." —u/Guuhatsu 19."Definitely not Connecticut." —u/Make_It_Sing 20."In Connecticut, I had an issue with my car, so I pulled into a gas station. Every single person who pulled in after me offered to help in some way. One guy was a carpenter and had a van full of tools that he offered me to use. One guy worked at the landscaping company next to the gas station and said he would help me push my car over to their parking lot so I could use their tools. I knew the issue was that the metal clamp keeping the hose on the transmission broke off, so I was leaking transmission fluid. I just zip-tied it on to drive up the hill to a mechanic to get a new one. When I was going to leave, this older lady chillin' in her car said she would follow me up the hill to make sure I got there safe. When I pulled into the mechanic's parking lot, she beeped and waved with a big smile. People in Connecticut and New England in general get a bad reputation, but there is so much kindness everywhere here." "Most will go out of their way to help a stranger." —u/hypothalanus 21."I'm from New Jersey, so I'm used to some abrasive but friendly strangers, if that makes sense. Like, I will hold the door for you, but call you a shmuck while I do it. I travel to North Carolina often (I know we need to get out of your state, but I have family there), and the people there are generally nice for no reason. There's lots of baby-name calling — 'honey,' 'sweetheart' — even if they do not know you. Also, courtesy is kind of just a given there. Part of me is creeped out by the overt kindness because I'm used to most people just minding their business and not being too much." —u/ceceae 22."Utah, for a creepy, fake friendliness." —u/s0618345 "Utah. I went there for a friend's funeral, and yet every store I went to was bombarded with smiles and, 'Can I help you find anything?'" —u/AdventurousSong4080 23."Everyone shits on Ohio, but those people do not care who you are — you're always invited." —u/Artistic-Listen7975 24."Just stand on a Midtown sidewalk in New York City looking at your phone, baffled, and a couple of folks will ask if you need help. I have now lived in the Twin Cities in Minnesota for 15 years, and still think they are the unfriendliest people on Earth." —u/Purple_Joke_1118 25."Louisiana, I have found, is the friendliest state I have been to." —u/AbsolutelyDeleuchted 26."Colorado has pretty friendly people." —u/El_mochilero 27."Oregon. The only people who aren't accepted are those who are prejudiced against minority communities. Otherwise, people go out of their way to be nice. Southern states can be very nice too, but unfortunately, a lot of their communities are not very tolerant of other cultures, religions, sexualities, and ethnic backgrounds. What's great about Oregon is that, even in the less populated areas, people are more or less accepting of all walks of life. Everybody is laidback and friendly. Violent crime is nearly nonexistent compared to other populated states." —u/Extreme_Today_984 28."I'm going to give it to Kansas. I grew up there in the 1990s and 2000s, born to immigrants from Southeast Asia. Everyone was welcoming, and I never felt like an outsider. Hell, the people who sponsored my dad and uncle were Americans born and raised in Kansas, and I will lovingly call them my grandparents (rest in peace to both of them). Zero issues with racism there." —u/RebirthCross 29."I have lived in quite a few states. I found western New York to be the friendliest. Boston, while a beautiful city, was tougher to meet people in. Bostonians told me that Maine was even harder on any 'outsiders,' but I have no regrets about living there. I did eventually make some great friends. I also like New Jersey people — they call it like they see it." —u/No-Vacation7906 30."I have been in Texas my entire life. It used to be very friendly. It's not that way anymore. Texas has become a terrible place to live, mired in poverty, wage stagnation, and blind devotion to all things Red Hat. Major cities still have a lot of diversity, but everyone pretty much just sticks to their own these days." —u/Ayste 31."West Virginia. I haven't been there many times, but have only had positive experiences." —u/arcticblobfish 32."I can safely assure you it is not Pennsylvania." —u/DankestMemeSourPls 33."I moved to Austin, Texas, from Northern California. Within the first couple of weeks of living here, multiple times, while just walking down the street past a person, they've been like, 'Hello' or 'Hey, how are you doing?' I did not understand. My first thought was, 'What do you want from me?' I was not used to people saying hello just to say hello. I know Texas has a reputation on the political spectrum, but people are very friendly here. Generally." —u/CautiousWrongdoer771 34."I have lived in 11 states and been to a lot more — Iowa, definitely Iowa." —u/Starrfall74 35."As someone who has traveled over 75 percent of the country, Maryland. Maine is a close second. I cannot begin to tell you how often I've been invited to someone's home after a regular conversation. They will not let you merge in traffic, but you can come try their bean dip on a Thursday." —u/PreferredSex_Yes 36."Alabama, specifically the Birmingham area. I got to interact with people from all walks of life, and all went above and beyond to be generous and kind." —u/Iztac_xocoatl 37."I nominate Delaware, because they use turn signals when driving." —u/[deleted] 38."Georgia is nice. Also, I live in Idaho. Anyone who says Idaho is their answer is either a liar or has only been here a few times. People here can be quite the assholes to outsiders." —u/MacDaddyCheesus 39."Indiana." —u/ElJefeDelCine 40."Kentucky by far! I worked there in 2023 and was absolutely blown away by how nice people were. It was like they knew me personally." —u/Dense-Resolution8283 41."I have been to every state. It's between Alaska and Minnesota. I grew up in Chicago and currently live in California. Of all 50 states, the only state I have ever been threatened in is Mississippi. As for why: In Alaska, people shared time and food with me and a buddy on a motorcycle trip. It happened in many small towns — people were great. In Minnesota, I had the pleasure of going to two major sporting events, and the people were so kind. It was another motorcycle trip, and we even bar-hopped with some kind Minnesotans. The issues in Mississippi were racially motivated. I do not hold it against the state, but it happened three times in one eight-hour leg of a trip." —u/seramasumi 42."I have lived in 12 states, and the friendliest people in the US live in Louisiana. I have met people in line at the grocery store who invited me to their crawfish boil — and meant it. The least friendly is South Carolina. They want to know where your grandmama went to high school and turn away if the answer isn't right. We lived there for three years and made two friends." —u/contrarykate 43."South Dakota. I have been to 30-plus states for work. Hands down: South Dakota. Most hospitable, friendliest people I have ever met." —u/moebiusgrip 44."I used to think Washington state, but I was there recently, and their dislike for outsiders is palpable. I drove down to Oregon, and the difference was like night and day. They were the most welcoming, friendliest people everywhere I went." —u/throwaway_202010 lastly: "There's no single answer; it's usually dependent on your ethnicity and the state you're from. Try driving a car with California plates through Texas, Idaho, or parts of the South, and see how 'friendly' folks are." "I cannot believe the number of folks saying Texas. I lived there for almost a decade, and they are not that friendly." —u/Alarmed-Extension289 So, what do you think of these takes? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know which state you believe has the friendliest (or unfriendliest) people in your experience by dropping your stories in the comments below! Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
37 minutes ago
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He Read (at Least) 3,599 Books in His Lifetime. Now Anyone Can See His List.
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