Idaho Capital Marble Slab Crumbles After Little Girl Touches It

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Statehouse officials have hired a marble expert to inspect the capitol after a 2-foot slab of marble wainscoting crumbled at the touch of a 5-year-old girl.

The Spokesman-Review reports that officials expect to spend $500 to replace the marble trim. However, the repair will take time because workers will need to carve from blocks of marble still in their raw form. Two children touring the Statehouse with their school on Wednesday reached up to touch two separate sections of marble. The slab crashed down, but missed hurting the children.

Jan Frew with the state's Division of Public Works says that they will bring in experts to make sure other pieces of marble also don't fall apart. Contractors completed a $120 million Capitol renovation in 2009.