Look who just got the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Today So Far

• A Seattle star was honored by the White House and received the Presidential Medal of Honor, the highest honor for civilians.
• Monkeypox is no longer an isolated incident in King County; it's spreading through the community.
• The AHL just appointed its first female coach, and they are tied to the Seattle Kraken.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for July 7, 2022.

Seattle soccer star Megan Rapinoe's name is going up alongside the likes of Denzel Washington, Steve Jobs, Simone Biles, and John McCain. Today, Rapinoe officially receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

This is the highest honor a U.S. civilian can receive. It's given by presidents for contributions to prosperity, values or security, or for world peace and other notable acts as an American. Rapinoe not only earned the honor for her status as an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup champion, but also for her advocacy work for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights. The ceremony presenting the medals is today at the White House.

I wrote in late May that monkeypox had arrived in King County. It seemed pretty isolated at the time. But things have changed.

When the first local case showed up in May, it involved a person who travelled through an area where monkeypox was already spreading. That was the general story for many cases that arrived in the United States. But now, cases are showing up in King County in people who have not been traveling. That means they got it from interacting with others in the area. And therefore, health officials are warning that monkeypox is spreading in the community.

King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin said, "We expect to see additional cases locally as the outbreak grows in the US and globally."

The virus is not generally threatening to healthy people, but can be pretty bad for those with other health concerns. If you have symptoms (flu-like symptoms with a rash), contact your doctor.

Another sports headline popped up recently with a local angle. Jessica Campbell was hired as an assistant coach with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, making her the first female to take on such a role in the American Hockey League.

The Firebirds are the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate in California. So this means Campbell will be developing players who could have a shot at moving up the NHL's Seattle team.

"I'm really looking forward to my role, knowing that I can make an impact on these players and help them get to the goals that they're aspiring to," Campbell told KUOW.

"Playing the female game or the men's game, we speak the same language, I've lived the same feelings and experiences, and I've been at the highs and the lows."

Check out Campbell's full conversation with KUOW here.

Want more updates? Check out the Today So Far Blog!

AS SEEN ON KUOW

A reversible contraceptive treatment for men may soon be a reality. A hormonal birth control method for men is now in clinical trials. Dr. Stephanie Page with the University of Washington School of Medicine spoke with KUOW about this new development. (UW Global Health)

DID YOU KNOW?

Seattle loves Megan Rapinoe, and so does America. And now she has a medal to prove it.

Before there was a Presidential Medal of Freedom, there was the Medal of Freedom, which was created to honor civilians who made great contributions in WWII — they weren't in the military, but helped America kick some butt. President Kennedy upgraded the idea in 1963 to the "presidential" medal we use today. It's the same idea, though for a post WWII era. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a civilian honor and is given for a range of reasons. In short, it's given to people for being absolutely awesome, America's best of the best. However, it can be given to non-citizens for their support of American endeavors or for being awesome in their own way. Mother Teresa got one in 1985, for example.

Duke Ellington got the medal in 1969. Rosa Parks got a medal in 1996. Mr. Rogers got one in 2002. Bill and Melinda Gates got the medal in 2016 alongside Ellen DeGeneres and Robert De Niro. Tiger Woods got one in 2019.

No medal has ever been revoked. There has been some discussion about setting up a process for that, however, because of Bill Cosby (received in 2002).

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Why the Highland Park suspect represents a different kind of violent extremism

Rather than falling neatly into categories familiar to law enforcement and the public, such as white supremacists, radical Islamists or antigovernment militants, the Highland Park shooting requires an understanding of dark, online subcultures that overlap and feed into each other in ways that glorify violence and foster nihilism. Alarmingly, experts say these online milieus have been tied to an increasing number of mass shootings over time.

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