Morning from the Valley — here's what's growing in Winkler-Morden.

### Your kids might be playing this dangerous game

You know that feeling when you hear about something happening far away, and you just *know* it's only a matter of time until it lands right on your doorstep? That's how I felt reading about this "Senior Assassin" game causing trouble in Ontario, where police are now stepping in after an unhoused man was sprayed with a water gun. It's a high school fad where students hunt each other with water guns, often in disguise, to "eliminate" their targets. The problem is, sometimes those water guns look very real, and the public doesn't always know it's a game.

Now, I'm all for harmless fun, but this crosses a line. When you're running around with what looks like a weapon, even if it's just water, you're putting yourself and others at risk. Think about how quickly something like this could get out of hand. We've got responsible, growing families here, and the last thing we need is a misunderstanding at the Co-op parking lot or down by the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre because someone thought a water gun was something much more serious. Our kids are smart, ambitious — they're the future of our manufacturing and our community. We need them making good choices.

* **Safety First:** Police are worried about the public mistaking water guns for real weapons, leading to dangerous situations.

* **Property Concerns:** What if someone "assassinates" a target on private property, or causes damage in the process?

* **Community Impact:** These kinds of stunts can erode trust and create unnecessary fear in our neighborhoods, from the streets around the Winkler Bible Camp to the busy Highway 3 corridor.

We're proud of our growth here in Winkler and Morden, of our safe communities where families thrive. Let's make sure our high schoolers understand the very real implications of a game that can quickly turn from harmless fun to a serious safety concern. We don't want to see headlines about our youth for the wrong reasons.

Corinne Dueck, MiTL Sports Desk.

The Morning Wire crew talks about this kind of thing every day — tune in live at mornings.live.