The co-chair of Michigan's commission to grow the state said yesterday he doesn't believe it's possible to reverse our shrinking population.

Driving the news: The Detroit Policy Conference began with a remarkable admission by the Republican co-chair of the state's population effort led by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

• "By 2050, we'll be lucky to be the same size state as today," Walbridge CEO John Rakolta Jr., who was appointed by the governor last year, said on stage to Detroit News columnist Nolan Finley.

Why it matters: It's still unclear how recommendations from the population council's report could be implemented, and who's responsible for implementing them.

The intrigue: While this year's policy conference focused on growing our population and retaining young people, Ann Arbor library trustee Aidan Sova, who served on a work group that supported the population council, was the only person under 30 invited to speak at the conference. The lack of young people named to the council has been a criticism since the body was announced.

• He said the lack of competitive opportunity and a poor transit system are the first and second biggest reasons his peers leave.

What they're saying: "Michigan's house is on fire," Detroit Regional Chamber president Sandy Baruah told an auditorium crowd yesterday.

Between the lines: Rakolta claimed yesterday that low birth rates, declining foreign immigration and a young population that finds higher paying jobs in places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco make growing the population a difficult task.

• Creating prosperity should start with increasing productivity instead of the population, Rakolta said, arguing the state should be able to cut wasteful spending by at least 10%.
• Rakolta said the state could start with shrinking its number of school districts. Michigan has more than 200 districts while Florida, where Rakolta lives part time, has 83.

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Sunday's playoff game against the L.A. Rams has all the ingredients for another heartbreaking Lions loss.

State of play: We understand why fans might be expecting the worst.

• But there are plenty of reasons for optimism when the Lions and Rams kick off at Ford Field at 8pm.

💔 Stafford's playoff history: Matthew Stafford's dramatic return as an aging Super Bowl champion is the NFL's juiciest story of wild-card weekend.

• He left after 12 seasons without ever playing in a Ford Field playoff game — a burdensome legacy he won't shake just because he won the big game in a different uniform.

💥 Sack lunch: Detroit's pass rush finished strong with Alim McNeill's return and a jolt from Pro Bowler Aidan Hutchinson, who had five sacks in the last two games.

🫨 Home-field vibes: What happens when one of the NFL's most downtrodden fan bases hosts a playoff game for the first time in 30 years?

• The Rams are about to find out just how loud an indoor stadium can get. Demand is so high that resale tickets are going for nearly $600.

🐶 Lovable underdog: The Rams are a popular underdog pick among experts predicting L.A.'s offense will shred Detroit's underwhelming pass defense.

• The NFL is nothing if not unpredictable. Low expectations for the Lions are a recipe for success.

🪦 S.O.L. are dead: Lions lore is so enmeshed with heartbreak that fans have a well-worn refrain anytime something bad happens: Same Old Lions.

• It's time to bury the losers lament and expect victory on Sunday. This team has earned it.

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This holiday weekend should be windy and cold, but don't let that stop you from making the best of it.

🇺🇸 Events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday: Attend the 21st annual MLK Day Rally and March starting at noon at St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's Episcopal Church at 8850 Woodward Ave. Speakers include U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and UAW president Shawn Fain. There's also a community meal scheduled after the march.

• The Wright Museum of African American History honors King with a slate of educational programming, plus a film screening, workshops and an immersive virtual reality experience.

🎧 Don headphones for a silent dance party at Bleu Detroit on Woodward.

• Tonight, 10pm-2am. General admission tickets: $25.

🕶️ Dust off your best pleather trench coat and head to the Senate Theater for a 25th anniversary screening of "The Matrix."

• Tomorrow, 7pm. $6.

Four more events

📜 Detroit is redrawing its City Council districts using 2020 Census estimates, with plans to finish the process on Jan. 30. But the changes won't be implemented until the 2025 election. (BridgeDetroit)

🍗 New Korean-Mexican restaurant Nuevo Seoul is expected to open on Shelby Street next month, adding a locally owned fast-casual concept to the downtown food landscape. (Metro Times)

🚙 After moving to late summer in 2022, the North American International Auto Show plans to shift back to its original time slot in January 2025. (Fox 2)

👋 Hi, Everett here. I'm a grown adult still trying to keep it together four days after watching Michigan win a national championship.

• It was about more than just the game, as spending the weekend with college friends I've known for almost 15 years led to some surprising levels of introspection about life choices, relationships and getting older.

📬 If this championship also meant something to you beyond football, we'd love to read your stories. Reply to this email and you may be featured in a future newsletter!

Of note: Michigan hosts a parade through Ann Arbor starting at 4pm tomorrow.