Peoria has the highest property taxes in the country relative to market value of homes, according to a study of 342 of the largest cities.

SmartAsset ranked cities based on the “median annual real estate taxes paid on owner-occupied homes with a mortgage relative to the median home value of such households.”

Peorians, according to the study, pay 2.64% of the value of their homes in annual property taxes, the highest mark in the country, according to the study based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-Year American Community Survey for 2023. The median amount spent in property taxes for owner-occupied homes was $4,455 a year and the median home value in Peoria was $168,900, according to SmartAsset.

Illinois had the top two cities on the list and four of the top eight. Rockford was No. 2. Homeowners there paid 2.46% of their home value in property taxes with a median of $3,452 in property taxes paid, according to the study. The median home value in Rockford was $140,300, according to the study.

The rest of the top five, based on the highest percentage of property taxes paid relative to home values, included: Waterbury, Connecticut (2.39%); Syracuse, New York (2.36%); and Albany, New York (2.34%).

Elgin was seventh with 2.23% of home value paid for real estate taxes, with $6,394 being the median amount for property taxes and $287,300 listed as the median home value. Aurora was eighth with 2.21% of home value paid in property taxes, with a median property tax amount of $6,310 and a median home value of $285,300.

‘Firing on all cylinders’: Illinois city ranked one of the best in the world. Here’s why

Nearly a dozen Illinois teenagers were slapped with felony charges after they allegedly used dating apps to lure and beat two adult men over the summer — reportedly as part of a social media trend, according to police.

Some of the 11 teens involved — all boys aged 16 and 17 — were inspired by a cryptic viral social media trend, the Mount Prospect Police Department said in a statement on Thursday without elaborating on details of the apparent trend.

One of the victims, a 41-year-old man, reported to police that he’d been beaten by “a group of teenagers” in a parking lot on West Northwest Highway in Mount Prospect, Illinois around 9:45 p.m. on July 8.

“The victim related that he had utilized an online dating app to arrange to meet a person at that location. After arriving, the victim related that he was approached by a group of teenage males, who confronted him verbally and battered him. Teenagers in the group also damaged the victim’s vehicle,” police said.

Police did not specify what dating apps the group used to nab their would-be victims.

The teenagers allegedly tailed the 41-year-old when he tried to bolt to his car, but he managed to escape, the local department said.

Cops responded to a report of a similar battery a mere 10 minutes later.

The group’s second victim, a 23-year-old man, told police that he was supposed to meet someone he met on a dating app just a mile away from the location of the first assault when he was ganged up on and beaten by the teens. One of them even slashed one of his car tires, according to the police report.

Even with one tire indisposed, the victim was able to drive away. He couldn’t get very far with the slashed tire and stopped at a nearby residence to call 911, police said.

Investigators used surveillance footage to track down the teenage brutes.

“The Mount Prospect Police Detectives were able to locate video surveillance footage that captured the incident at 606 West Northwest Highway and were able to identify some of the offenders in the video,” police said.

“An extensive investigation was conducted where 11 total juveniles were identified as taking part in one or both incidents.”

Each of the 11 teens was charged with one or two counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and mob action, depending on their involvement in the attacks.

Detectives also said that one of the teens used “a racial and another derogatory term” during one of the alleged incidents, tacking on two hate crime charges for that teen, according to police.

None of the teens were publically named by police because they are all minors. They all turned themselves in last month and were taken to Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.

Mount Prospect Police hope other teens learn from the accused’s mistake.

“We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media,” Police Chief Michael Eterno said.

The charges were approved by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, according to the MPPD.

ILLINOIS – Illinois and Chicago leaders are reacting to the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100 on Sunday.

The Carter Center confirmed his passing, saying he died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family.

Carter was the 39th President of the United States and the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

Shared below is reaction from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and others. More updates will be added as they become available.

Local reaction to Carter’s passing: 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: 

• “President Jimmy Carter truly exemplified what it meant to live a life full of service. His towering legacy of compassion for others set a standard that will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to the Carter family and their loved ones. May his memory be a blessing.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson: 

• “President Jimmy Carter lived the American dream in every way. His legacy of love and his service to God and country are admirable beyond measure. President Carter valiantly fought for human rights and peace across the world during his presidency and beyond,” said Johnson. “He continued to serve our country with honor after his presidency by dedicating his retirement to building affordable housing and empowering others to value service and care for our neighbors. President Carter was a personal inspiration to me as a man of deep faith in the political arena, and his values remain a north star guiding us all. We can all take comfort that he is with his beloved wife, Rosalynn, and in peace.” 

Congressman Jesus “Chuy” García: 

“Today we lost a giant of progressive politics—a farmer, veteran, teacher, and President who fought for a more humane and accountable government even when doing so was politically costly. Though President Carter faced significant challenges during his administration, he steadfastly pursued a bold agenda focused on social and human services for working families. His Administration crafted the first national energy policy, created the Department of Education, and bolstered the Social Security system. He also expanded the National Park Service, protecting 103 million acres of land in Alaska. In 1976, he created the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs to address issues of critical importance to the Latino community and held town halls across the nation to listen to the community’s concerns. His new Department of Education created a fund for programs to help non-English-speaking students become proficient.

“President Carter’s foreign policy legacy includes unprecedented movement toward peace in the Middle East and taking tangible actions—including the suspension of military aid—against countries that committed human rights abuses. He negotiated the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, which provided for the return of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999.

“His post-presidency, however, was perhaps the most productive era of President Carter’s life. His efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to unwaveringly advance human rights and alleviate human suffering, earned him the Nobel Peace Prize decades after leaving the White House. His steadfast pursuit of truth and peace leaves a powerful legacy to uphold.

“My thoughts are with the Carter family, their friends, and with all those who worked with President Carter through the decades.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth: 

• “From his humble beginnings as a peanut farmer to a Navy Veteran, then Governor, President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Carter lived a long life of service to our nation. A legacy we will never forget. May he rest in peace.”

Senator Dick Durbin: 

• “Jimmy Carter proved that excellence in public service can extend beyond the White House. His life was an inspiration to those of us who aspire to lead a life of service. I offer my condolences to the entire Carter family, to his friends and former staff members, and to the untold millions of people throughout the world whose lives are better because Jimmy Carter lived.”

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton: 

• “Rest in Peace, Mr. President. Not just a dedicated public servant, but an amazing human being. Thank you for your service to our country and exemplifying what compassionate and selfless leadership looks like.”

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama: 

• “For decades, you could walk into Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia on some Sunday mornings and see hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews. And standing in front of them, asking with a wink if there were any visitors that morning, would be President Jimmy Carter – preparing to teach Sunday school, just like he had done for most of his adult life. “Some who came to hear him speak were undoubtedly there because of what President Carter accomplished in his four years in the White House – the Camp David Accords he brokered that reshaped the Middle East; the work he did to diversify the federal judiciary, including nominating a pioneering women’s rights activist and lawyer named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the federal bench; the environmental reforms he put in place, becoming one of the first leaders in the world to recognize the problem of climate change. “Others were likely there because of what President Carter accomplished in the longest, and most impactful, post-presidency in American history – monitoring more than 100 elections around the world; helping virtually eliminate Guinea worm disease, an infection that had haunted Africa for centuries; becoming the only former president to earn a Nobel Peace Prize; and building or repairing thousands of homes in more than a dozen countries with his beloved Rosalynn as part of Habitat for Humanity. “But I’m willing to bet that many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency. “Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did – advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection – things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image. “Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it. “Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away – buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.”