In her time at the Post, Olivia served as a copy editor and general assignment reporter, while also working at The Talon. She joined the team in October 2020 as a founding member and junior at Los Altos High School, and departed in June 2021.
Economy sees full reopening — but some businesses see little practical change
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND MELODY XU, PHOTOS BY ARYA NASIKKAR The State of California this week underwent its full economic reopening, lifting major COVID-19 restrictions that have long been the norm for the past year. But despite the changes on paper, many in Downtown Mountain View haven’t noticed any immediate change. “To be honest,…
Getting a cheesecake from Basuku is like winning the lottery
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND MADISON YUE, PHOTOS BY EMILY MCNALLY Melt-in-your mouth creamy, deeply caramelized and notoriously hard to come by nowadays, Charles Chen’s Basque cheesecakes have burst onto the Bay Area food scene. Basuku Cheesecakes, founded by Chen, has gained a cult following during the pandemic and now boasts pop-ups in San Francisco,…
Teen chefs connect with the community through food
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND AGNES MAR, PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARLY WATSON, AMANDA YUN, KYLIE DE LA CRUZ AND SOFIA RODRIGUEZ BAQUERO For many, quarantine opened up rare time to explore new new hobbies, from crocheting to creating the perfect loaf of sourdough. But food is more than a brief COVID-19 obsession for these teen…
Activists protest possible use of Moffett Field as detention center
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTOS BY SADIE HINE / SPECIAL TO THE MIDPENINSULA POST Update (Sunday, March 21): The Department of Health and Human Services has decided to pass on using Moffett Field as a detention center. Waving colorful signs reading, “Kids Don’t Belong in Cages,” “F*ck Your Borders,” and “Free Them All,” local activists…
Foothills Park renamed Foothills Nature Preserve, city to implement annual passes
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN The Palo Alto City Council tonight voted unanimously to rename Foothills Park to Foothills Nature Preserve, implement annual passes and set the attendance cap to 300 visitors at a time, although the city manager may increase the cap up to a maximum of 650 visitors. The council…
Gluten-free bakery Sweet Diplomacy brings a community of food lovers often left out, together
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND MELODY XU, PHOTOS BY EMILY MCNALLY When Melody Hu happened to run out of regular flour while baking muffins at home one afternoon five years ago, she discovered gluten-free, mochiko rice flour to be a perfectly delicious substitute. The result of this accidental discovery is Sweet Diplomacy, a 100% gluten-free…
Antoine’s Cookie Shop serves up nostalgia by the dozen
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND ARI STROBER, PHOTO BY EMILY MCNALLY In Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” a single bite of the eponymous dish transports the sour-faced food critic, Anton Ego, to a memory of himself as a child, enjoying his mother’s cooking. Seeing a customer experience that involuntary sense of nostalgia is Antoine Tang’s favorite part of…
PAUSD to make optional in-person return in red tier
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND MELODY XU, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Grades 7–12 in the Palo Alto Unified School District will enter an optional in-person return once Santa Clara County falls to the red tier of coronavirus restrictions. As a continuation of the school board’s Nov. 10 vote to return to school in the spring…
MVLA board approves in-person return in red tier
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN, CARLY HELTZEL AND OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG The Mountain View–Los Altos School District board tonight unanimously approved the plans and budget for an optional in-person return in the red tier of coronavirus restrictions, but did leave room for further amendment later this month. Tonight’s development serves as an addendum…
Artist of the Month: Dasha Korepanova delights with her whimsical creatures
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG AND DANA HUCH, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN Dasha Korepanova used to sell her character designs in exchange for virtual currency in a video game. Now, the Los Altos junior is inundated with so many requests for commissions — paid in real money, not in-game “spuds” — that it’s become difficult for…
Palo Alto moves to implement $6 vehicle entry fee at Foothills Park
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN In a 6–1 vote on Jan. 19, the Palo Alto City Council moved to implement a $6 vehicle entry fee at Foothills Park and lower the attendance cap to 400 visitors. The council will review the changes to the city’s municipal code at a second reading on…
As attendance soars, Palo Alto closes entrance to Foothills Park during peak hours
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN AND OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN In an effort to stave off a high number of park goers, the City of Palo Alto announced today that the front gate to Foothills Park will be temporarily closed on weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting this Saturday, Jan.…
PAUSD students suggest changes to District Title IX processes
STORY BY OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN A panel of Palo Alto high schoolers urged the Palo Alto Unified School District to amend its Title IX processes to better protect victims of sexual assault and harassment at the Board’s study session last night. Title IX is the federal civil rights law that bans sex…
CIF moves earliest start date to January, scraps season one regional and state championships
The California Interscholastic Federation announced today in a press release that the earliest start date for season one sports will be Friday, January 1. Additionally, all season one state and regional competitions are canceled, and boys volleyball has been moved to season two. A modified season two calendar will be released in January. “By canceling…
Santa Clara County has moved back into the purple tier of coronavirus restrictions
Santa Clara County has moved back into the purple tier of coronavirus restrictions, indicating widespread transmission. Here’s what you need to know. Schools that are currently open — such as elementary schools in LASD and PAUSD — will be allowed to continue in-person instruction. However, schools that have not yet begun an in-person return —…
Gunn, PALY to return in person along with PAUSD middle schools in January
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN AND OLIVIA HEWANG, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN Palo Alto middle and high schools will reopen next semester under a hybrid model, following the Palo Alto Unified School District Board’s unanimous vote last night to approve the plan; that plan is set to be tweaked before reopening day, with further input from…