After spending decades as the lead singer of legendary country music Alabama, Randy Owen has successfully ventured into solo waters with his debut CD, 2008’s “One on One.”

Owen

So far the new album has charted singles “Braid My Hair” and “Like I Never Broke Her Heart.” The album also includes the Dolly Parton-written “Holding Everything.”

In addition to touring in support of his new project, Owen, who now calls Ft. Payne, Ala., home, penned his memoirs in “Born Country.” The book details how Owen helped lead Alabama to 21 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums with 42 No. 1 singles – including “Tennessee River,” “Old Flame,” “Feels So Right,” “Mountain Music,” Take Me Down.”

Overall, “Born Country” weaves never-before-shared stories about life on the road with Ala-bama, Randy’s family and his traditional Christian values. It also goes into detail regarding his early life in rural Alabama working on a small sharecropper farm. Incidentally, today the 59-year-old lives on this same land that his family worked for generations.

“I really feel like I’m baring my soul here,” said Owen in his press material. “I’m really proud of the music we’ve made on this new record thankful for the opportunity to tell my story in the new book.”

As far as his music is concerned, Owen has been plenty busy since Alabama called it quits earlier this decade. For “One on One,” the vocalist tapped producer John Rich, of Big & Rich fame.

Owen also wrote or co-wrote seven of the 11 cuts on the new CD. Now the Country Music Hall of Fame member is touring the album, including an Aug. 24 show at the Lorain County Fair in Wel-lington. Fans can expect 75 percent Alabama material, 25 percent solo tunes and 100 percent “Mountain Music.”

Randy Owen

• When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24
• Where: Lorain County Fairgrounds
• Cost: $30
• More information: www.loraincountyfair.com

ELYRIA — The 331-page report detailing the management and operations of the Elyria Fire Department is a comprehensive document that touches on everything from minimum manning to the department’s benefit-rich contract that gives firefighters the luxury of a lot of days off.

Nearly all of the recommendations on staffing and fire station operation included in the report by the McGrath Consulting Group of Illinois contradict what the city is currently doing, as budget cuts have resulted in a department that sometimes operates with as few as 10 firefighters on duty and only two fire stations open.

Some of its more provocative recommendations are that the city should hire another assistant safety service director to work with the new fire chief, that the city should sell the new $1.1 million ladder truck it just bought and that the city one day should build two new fire stations  — one in Ward 3 and one in Ward 6 — and abandon its two stations downtown. (more…)