Thumbs up: To the local police agencies, led by DeKalb police, who apprehended two suspects after an armed robbery at the AT&T store on Sycamore Avenue in DeKalb on Tuesday. The two men, now being held on $1 million bond each, were in a vehicle that matched the description of one seen leaving the store around noon. When police attempted to stop the car on Peace Road, a high-speed chase ensued, during which police said the suspects’ vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph. Luckily, no one was hurt, although the chase did end with a car crash at Peace and Pleasant Street. Violent crimes are particularly unsettling, especially when they are committed in broad daylight in places we normally think of as secure public settings. The officers who confronted this dangerous situation to protect the community deserve our gratitude.

Thumbs up: To the Northern Illinois men’s basketball team, which will play in one of the games in ESPN’s 2012 College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on Nov. 13. The Huskies will play at Valparaiso, of the Horizon League, at 7 a.m. as part of the sports network’s 24-hour marathon. “Any time you can represent [the Mid-American Conference] and play on ESPN, it’s a good thing,” Huskies coach Mark Montgomery said. It will be a great day for college basketball fans around the country, and we’ll be up bright and early to see how the Huskies fare in what will be their second game of the 2012-13 season.

Thumbs down: To the state of Illinois, which plans to borrow about $1.6 billion for transportation projects without spending a nickel in DeKalb County. Obviously, we understand the greater Chicago area includes most of the state’s people and most of its traffic. But Gov. Pat Quinn is the second Chicago-based governor in a row, and the big city seems to wield more influence than ever. If all of us as state taxpayers are borrowing this money, you’d think they could spread it around a little better.