Hostess, Maker of Snack Cakes, Going Out of Business - KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CD-Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings

Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread, is going out of business.

The company is closing plants and laying off all of its 18,500 workers.

Hostess, based out of Irving, Texas, says a nationwide worker strike crippled its ability to make and deliver its products at several locations.

Hostess had warned employees that it would file a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to unwind its business and sell assets if plant operations didn't return to normal levels by Thursday evening.

The privately held company filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, its second trip through bankruptcy court in less than a decade.

The closing plants include one north of Denver in Adams County, where drivers were still making deliveries Friday but the plant could be closed by Tuesday.