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Hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone National Park’s Biscuit Basin damages part of boardwalk
A hydrothermal explosion took place at Yellowstone National Park‘s Biscuit Basin in northwest Wyoming Tuesday morning, sending boiling water and steam into the air and causing some damage to a boardwalk, officials said.
The small, localized eruption occurred at 10:19 a.m. local time near the Sapphire Pool, which is about two miles northwest of the Old Faithful Geyser, the National Park Service said.
The basin, including the parking lot and boardwalks, is temporarily closed until park officials determine the area is safe.
No injuries were reported, and the extent of damage is still being assessed, the National Park Service said. Photos shared by Yellowstone on social media showed a boardwalk covered in debris, with a bench and portions of a fence destroyed.
“Hydrothermal explosions, being episodes of water suddenly flashing to steam, are notoriously hard to predict,” the U.S. Geological Survey said on social media. The agency likened the eruptions to a pressure cooker, adding that “they may not give warning signs at all.”
Volcanoes, on the other hand, do emit warning signs, and there were no signs of an imminent volcanic eruption or seismic activity in the Yellowstone region after the explosion, the USGS said.
Park officials similarly said that volcanic activity remained “at normal background levels.”
Hydrothermal explosions can be “violent and dramatic events resulting in the rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud and rock fragments,” according to the USGS. Larger geysers can reach over a mile high and leave craters hundreds of feet wide.
“This sort of thing happens 1-2 times per year somewhere in Yellowstone (often in the backcountry, so it goes unnoticed),” the USGS said on social media. “It’s an underappreciated hazard that we’ve been emphasizing for years. A similar event happened in roughly the same place in 2009.”
The agency added that “small doesn’t mean that it was not spectacular.”
— Li Cohen contributed reporting.
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Tupperware files for bankruptcy amid slumping sales
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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JD Vance echoes Trump, blames Democrats for apparent assassination attempt
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