An investigation into narcotics trafficking in Montgomery County led to the arrest Sunday night of a man and woman on felony drug charges. Red Oak Police reports 45-year old Shelby Joann Olivares and 46-year old Lynn Kenneth Houtchens, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 9:50-p.m. in the 400 block of E. Market Street.

Houtchens and Olivares each face one felony count of Delivery of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance and three aggravated misdemeanor counts each, of Delivery of a Schedule 4 Controlled Substance. Houtchens was also charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, a serious misdemeanor.

Houtchens and Olivares were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $50,000 cash bond, each. Red Oak Police were assisted in the investigation and arrests by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies.

The Iowa Department of Public Health plans to give out three million dollars in federal funding to help provide more treatment for those with addictions to prescription drugs and heroin. The department’s Monica Wilke Brown says those who’re addicted will be treated with a couple of types of medication. “There’s been a limited level of treatment options for people who wanted to use medications. The research has gotten very well developed over the last for some people in some cases,” Brown says.

She says the medications that treat the addiction work in a couple of ways. “Some work in the brain to reduce the cravings that people have for the drug,” Brown explains. “And others make it less pleasurable for people to use the drugs.” The grant money will go to substance abuse providers who have medical professionals on their staff who can monitor and use of the medication to help the patients. Brown says that’s important because of the differences in how people react to treatment.

“One person might have success with methadone and another person might have success with maltrexone. Just like individuals are different, they respond differently to different medications,” Brown says. Brown says the number of people admitted for the treatment for addiction for the pain-killing drugs known as Opioids, has gone up rapidly. “It’s increased 152 percent just from 2007 to 2012. And one of the things that is of a particular concern with Opioid drugs — whether they are prescription drugs or heroin — the risk of overdose is great, and people can die from overdose,” Brown says. Thirty-three Iowans died from opioid overdose deaths last year.

“As people get more and more pain medications — usually legitimately after a surgery or an injury of some sort — then some people end up addicted and with a disorder from using that opioid. We’ve seen that increase here in Iowa, just as we have seen across the country,” according to Brown. Nineteen people died in Iowa last year from heroin overdoses. She says there will be treatment services available across the state.

You can Google “Iowa Drug Treatment” or look on the Drug-Free-Iowa.org website to find a treatment provider. “People can also reach out to their physician and ask for a referral for specialized services, because substance abuse treatment is really medical care for a chronic condition,” Brown says. One million dollars of the money from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be distributed each year for a three-year period.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A meat company based in Nebraska is recalling 167,427 pounds of ground beef that might be tainted with E. coli bacteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Sunday that All American Meats Incorporated is recalling the meat that was sold to retailers nationwide. No illnesses have been linked to the beef.

The recalled meat was produced on October 16th, and it was sold in either 60-pound or 80-pound packages. All the meat that is being recalled had a sell-by date of Nov. 3 and establishment number 20420 in the USDA inspection stamp.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 3-year-old boy appears to have fallen from a second-floor window in Council Bluffs, yet managed to avoid major injury. Council Bluffs police are investigating the incident that happened around 10:20 a.m. Sunday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For months, Texas Senator Ted Cruz has flown under the radar in the Republican presidential race. That’s an unusual position for a politician who’s been in the spotlight since arriving in Washington nearly three years ago. Now, Cruz is trying to ride a standout performance in last week’s debate into new momentum for his campaign. He’s casting himself as the conservative the party’s right flank has been waiting for — one who’s both uncompromising and electable.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad’s effort to privatize Iowa’s Medicaid program continues to move forward, though critics are raising questions about the projected cost savings. On Tuesday a legislative oversight committee will hold the first of two scheduled hearings to review the privatization plans.

LARRABEE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa landowners who oppose a proposed pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois hope state regulators will consider their concerns about the project. Rancher Jack Montgomery tells the Sioux City Journal that the pipeline Dakota Access has proposed has started to seem like a done deal. The Iowa Utilities Board is scheduled to begin pipeline hearings on November 12th after a judge ruled that landowners should take their concerns to regulators before filing a lawsuit.

The Iowa State Patrol, late Sunday afternoon, released information pertaining to a single-vehicle, personal injury accident that took place Friday night. Officials say the driver of the car, 83-year old Charles Miller, and his passenger, 75-year old Shirley Miller, both of Colman, SD, suffered minor scratches and complained of pain, but refused transport to the hospital.The couple were wearing their seat belts.

According to the report, Charles Miller was driving a 1999 Chevy pickup southbound on Interstate 29 at around 7:45-p.m. with his cruise control set at 70-mph. He exited at mile marker 74 to eastbound I-680, but didn’t intend to do so and was unable to negotiate the posted 30-mph curve. His pickup left the road and sideswiped a tree causing disabling damage to the vehicle.