Mitch Wertlieb
Senior Host and CorrespondentA graduate of NYU with a Master's Degree in journalism, Mitch has more than 20 years experience in radio news. He got his start as news director at NYU's college station, and moved on to a news director (and part-time DJ position) for commercial radio station WMVY on Martha's Vineyard. But public radio was where Mitch wanted to be and he eventually moved on to Boston where he worked for six years in a number of different capacities at member station WBUR...as a Senior Producer, Editor, and fill-in co-host of the nationally distributed Here and Now. Mitch has been a guest host of the national NPR sports program "Only A Game". He's also worked as an editor and producer for international news coverage with Monitor Radio in Boston.
An avid Boston sports fan, Mitch has been blessed with being able to witness world championships for two of his favorite teams (and franchises he was at one time convinced would never win in his lifetime): the Boston Red Sox in 2004, 2007, and 2013, and in hockey, the Boston Bruins, who won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years in 2011.
Mitch was known to play a music bed or two during Morning Edition featuring his favorite band The Grateful Dead. He lives in South Burlington with his wife Erin, daughter Gretchen, and their dog Fezzik. He (Mitch, not Fezzik) was host of Morning Edition on Vermont Public from 2003 until 2023. He now serves as the Senior Host and Correspondent.
-
We speak with Vermont’s lone congresswoman Becca Balint about what she learned from her first term in the U.S. House, and the challenges ahead as she begins her second. Plus, Franklin County Republican Randy Brock is challenging Democrat Phil Baruth to lead the Vermont Senate, Sen. Peter Welch joins the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, a new federal rule will largely ban two toxic chemicals often used in dry cleaning businesses, and the Vermont State Colleges System ratifies a four-year contract with its staff union. -
Visiting Woodstock for the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count, a citizen science project used to track the health of different species. Plus, the Agency of Agriculture begins testing Vermont’s milk supply for bird flu, the Scott administration considers allowing Vermonters to play the lottery online, a long-serving member of Burlington’s city council will not seek reelection, developers of a new ski village at Killington hope to begin construction next year, why the Dartmouth men’s basketball team has dropped its attempt to unionize, and we preview the meaningful games that will round out the NFL’s regular season in our first weekly sports report of the new year.
-
Burlington launches an initiative allowing first responders to give opioid addiction treatment at the scene of an overdose. Plus, a flock of birds in Franklin County tests positive for bird flu, the most recent statewide survey on youth mental health shows levels have not rebounded from the COVID pandemic, a commission charged with overhauling Vermont’s school system issues its first report without any specific recommendations, Dartmouth Health tries to raise the number of behavioral health workers in the region by expanding student training opportunities, and officials report a hike in ridership out of airports in Rutland and Lebanon, New Hampshire.
-
A conversation with the new chief diversity officer for Vermont State University, who’s starting work amid nationwide efforts to roll back diversity, equity , inclusion and belonging initiatives. Plus, the state sees a 60% jump from last year in wages paid to workers under investigation for alleged misconduct, a meeting for Bennington property owners about harmful chemicals in private wells has been rescheduled, the state is seeing an uptick in fraudulent business filings, Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy is on the rise, and we’ve got a preview of hockey action following the NHL Christmas break along with the latest off-season moves made by the Boston Red Sox in our weekly recap of sports.
-
Touring a factory that’s home to the world’s oldest maker of musical cymbals. Plus, a judge rules a state lawsuit filed against major oil companies can proceed, Vermont and New Hampshire show a recent spike in pneumonia cases, the health department has a new plan for urging young adults to get a flu shot, St. Michael’s College announces undergrad students whose families make $100,000 or less won’t pay tuition in 2025, and why some Vermont universities are telling international students traveling over the holidays to return to the U.S. before President-elect Trump takes office.
-
Visiting a farm in the Northeast Kingdom keeping alive the centuries-old winter tradition of horse-drawn sleigh rides. Plus, the inpatient psychiatry unit at Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin will close early next year, the state’s attorney general says two Vermont state troopers were justified in the non-fatal shooting of a man in Burke, Vermont language interpreters inform immigrant communities about their rights following declarations by the incoming Trump administration to deport people in the U.S. illegally, and an Upper Valley ski area offers free skiing and snowboarding for the first time.
-
We finish reporter Erica Heilman’s week-long series of interviews about class with a man whose parents immigrated to the U.S. to find better lives for themselves, then opened a Thai restaurant in Montpelier. Plus, Vermont’s motel voucher program for unhoused people has turned away hundreds of eligible households this month for lack of space, a more user friendly online filing system for Vermont businesses debuts, Gov. Scott announces a new program to help Vermonters get unclaimed property back, two North Atlantic right whales have become entangled in fishing gear off Nantucket, and we recap the history-making season for the NCAA division one national champion UVM men’s soccer team in our weekly sports report.
-
An Upper Valley therapist considers how the area has changed over her lifetime, in the latest episode of reporter Erica Heilman’s recurring series “What Class Are You”. Plus, the University of Vermont men’s soccer team returns to Burlington after winning their first ever NCAA national championship, a committee tasked with considering reforms to state landlord-tenant laws doesn’t draft any recommendations, a Vermont cannabis chain is closing several stores, Vermont’s secretary of state calls for getting rid of the electoral college, and the state extends a mental health program for flood-impacted Vermonters.
-
The team arrived via bus from the Burlington International airport to greet a packed crowd of fans at Patrick Gym who were celebrating the team's 2-1 overtime victory over Marshall. -
A retired Vermont State Police trooper is featured in the return of our recurring series "What Class Are You", where reporter Erica Heilman talks to Vermonters with various backgrounds about money, class and privilege. Plus, a St. Johnsbury man faces a charge of attempted murder after allegedly shooting and wounding a police officer, Gov. Scott touts state-run shelters as a central component of addressing homelessness in the future, an alternate site is needed for the Chittenden Solid Waste District’s new recycle center, and the Agency of Transportation moves to implement a behind-schedule federal vehicle charging program.
