The Northern Arapaho Tribe is seeking $1.5 million to build a youth center on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Tribal leaders held a press conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday to discuss the need for the center. They said it was the number one request among youth on the reservation.

The tribe hopes Congress will appropriate the money through an emergency earmark. Meetings with lawmakers are being held this week.

The tribe is mourning the loss of three young girls -- aged 13, 14, and 15 -- who died on the reservation earlier this month. The cause of their deaths has not been released but elders blame alcohol and drugs.

The Wind River Reservation is home Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

Get the Story:
Tribal leaders ask for rec center (AP 6/26)

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Northern Arapaho Tribe to hold DC press conference (6/25)
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Three teen girls found dead on Wyoming reservation (6/6)
Three bodies found on Wind River Reservation (6/5)