
Associated Press - November 9, 2009 1:14 PM ET
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A new building is going up in Boise, but it's not made of wood or brick.
It's a straw bale house, made of thick layers of straw covered with plaster.
The Idaho Statesman reports that this will be Mark Lung's second straw bale home. He first lived in one in Gunnison, Colo. before moving to Boise. Lung says the design and building materials keep straw bale homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and that they're earth-friendly.
Ron Hixson and his company Earthcraft are building the home. He says despite positive attributes, the homes haven't caught on in some urban areas because city codes haven't been updated to allow them.
Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BOISE, Idaho. - Senators rejected a measure meant to help law enforcement officials stop invasive species at Idaho's borders, saying it would give authorities too much leeway to flag people down and seize their property.
TOKYO. - Toyota's global recall now stands at 8.5 million vehicles. The automaker says it's recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles to fix brake problems.
STEVENS COUNTY, Wash.- KHQ received several calls early Tuesday morning from viewers in the Loon Lake area who heard two large explosions in their neighborhood.
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane County Sheriff's office is investigating an armed robbery at the Village Centre Cinemas on N. Division.
BOISE, Idaho. - An Idaho legislator wants to get rid of words like "lunatic" and "retarded" from state laws, saying they're outdated and disrespectful.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. - Five of the 10 Americans detained in Haiti on kidnapping charges left jail Monday to see a Haitian judge.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in television history.
AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. - A woman wanted for stealing a puppy from NW Seed and Pet on Saturday was charged with theft after turning herself into officers Sunday.
TOKYO. - News reports out of Japan say Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem, but a spokesman for Toyota says no decision on a Prius recall has been made.
BOISE, Idaho. - For Idaho students who think high school lasts forever, two lawmakers want to pay them to speed up their education.