Sarah Cwiek

In January 1914, Henry Ford started paying his auto workers a remarkable $5 a day. Doubling the average wage helped ensure a stable workforce and likely boosted sales since the workers could now afford to buy the cars they were making. It laid the foundation for an economy driven by consumer demand.

New Year's Day has become its own holiday of sorts for some hockey fans. The Detroit Red Wings play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Wednesday in front of more than 100,000 people. The game time weather forecast: about 18 degrees, with an 80 percent chance of snow.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced last week that he'll appoint an emergency manager for the city of Detroit. That means an unelected person will have sweeping powers to try to stop Detroit's financial hemorrhaging.

In Michigan, voters will decide on a ballot measure that would mandate statewide referendums for any new international border crossings. That seemingly neutral language masks a very specific — and bitter — political battle over whether to build a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The unemployment in Michigan is dropping as the auto industry rebounds, and the state has a budget surplus for the first time in many years. But many local leaders say they're not seeing a comeback. They believe state leaders are helping themselves — and the business community — at the expense of the well-being of cities.

Detroit is in danger of going broke. The city's elected leaders insist they can handle the crisis but haven't agreed on a plan of action. In the meantime, the governor is taking steps that could lead to an emergency manager taking over the city. To top it off, a petition drive to overturn Michigan's emergency manager law threatens to undo any actions the state would take. It's a wild, financially troubled situation. Michigan Radio's Sarah Cwiek reports.