Thumbs up: To the Feed’em Soup community kitchen, which has expanded to include its new Feed’em After Dark program. It plans to expand services to offer a free weekly meal to the community and add a pay-what-you-can price plan. Feed’em After Dark will be open from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a low-priced $1 to $2 menu at 122 S. First St. in DeKalb. The success of the new late-night eatery will be critical for Feed’em Soup to provide free weekly meals, and could also give the community kitchen a safety net if there is a slowdown in donations.

Thumbs up: To Northern Illinois University Police Department’s interim leaders for collaborating with other area departments. The department joined the county’s major case squad after an absence of a decade or so, and leaders are discussing ways to strengthen their collaboration with the DeKalb Police Department. The actions that led to NIU Acting Police Chief Darren Mitchell’s and Acting Director Bill Nicklas’ appointments were a low point for the department, but we hope these first steps at improving relationships across the county continue. Good, strong police forces make the community and its residents safer and are vital for ensuring justice.

Thumbs down: To the disappearance of the DeKalb County Liners. The Liners announced this week they would have to fold because of a lack of attendance at their home games, which were played at Founders Field in Sycamore since the team began competing in 2010. Although the Liners reached the championship series of the Midwest Collegiate League this season, they couldn’t draw enough fans to stay in business. The Liners offered an opportunity for collegiate players to compete in the summer and for locals to see a ballgame. We hope such a venture will prove economically viable in the future.