Authorities say the bassist for country music star Toby Keith has been killed in a two-car crash in Oklahoma.

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office says 54-year-old Carl “Chuck” Goff Jr. was killed in the crash Wednesday night in rural Cleveland County, about 35 miles south of Oklahoma City.

Keith said in a statement that he’s “deeply saddened” by Goff’s death. Keith says Goff was a close friend for more than 25 years, serving as band leader and bass player.

Goff shared writing credits on “Upstairs Downtown” and “You Ain’t Much Fun” on Keith’s 1994 album “Boomtown.”

The two-vehicle crash remains under investigation. Authorities say the driver of the second vehicle wasn’t seriously injured.

 

Actor Robert Clary is 87
Singer Harry Belafonte is 86
Actor Robert Conrad is 78
Singer Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann is 69
Singer Roger Daltrey is 69
Actor Alan Thicke is 66
Actor-director Ron Howard is 59
Country singer Janis Oliver Cummins of Sweethearts of the Rodeo is 59
Actress Catherine Bach is 59
Actor Tim Daly is 57
Keyboardist Jon Carroll (Starland Vocal Band) is 56
Bassist Bill Leen (Gin Blossoms) is 51
Actor George Eads is 46
Actor Javier Bardem is 44
Actor Jack Davenport is 40
Guitarist Ryan Peake of Nickelback is 40
Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 39
Blues Clues host Donovan Patton is 35
Singer Sammie is 26
Singer Justin Bieber is 19.

A Kansas State cosmologist will discuss the expanding universe during an informal talk at Mueller Planetarium in Lincoln.

The talk by Bharat Ratra is titled “Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe.”

It is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at the planetarium, which is in the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History’s Morrill Hall.

Mueller Planetarium shows a dome program, “Dark,” on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 3 p.m. The program complements Ratra’s talk, because it provides an introductory look at the complex principles of dark matter.

Federal authorities say platinum-selling rapper Ja Rule is in a New York City jail with a July release date.

The 36-year-old rapper left a state prison in central New York last week after serving most of his two-year sentence for illegal gun possession and went straight into federal custody in a tax evasion case.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says he has since moved from an upstate jail to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, which houses prisoners awaiting court dates or having short terms left on their sentences.

The bureau said Thursday his expected release date is July 28.

Ja Rule admits he failed to pay taxes on more than $3 million earned between 2004 and 2006 while he lived in New Jersey.

A call to his attorney hasn’t been returned.

The Nebraska State Fair announced Thursday that Mel Tillis will be returning to the Fair this summer.

Tillis will be the headliner for Older Nebraskan’s Day on Wednesday August 28, and will perform two shows at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.

Nebraska State Fair Director, Chelsey Jungck said, “We’ve invited Mel back this year with two shows to accommodate everyone who wanted to see him in 2010.”

According to Jungck, Tillis performed during the Fair’s first year in Grand Island and was only signed to perform one show based on the attendance when the event was in Lincoln.  Jungck added, “The response in Grand Island was so overwhelming, we simply weren’t prepared for the hoards of fans, so we’re bringing him back for two shows.”

Tillis is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  He began his career in 1956 and has recorded more than 60 albums and has had 36 Top Ten Singles, nine of which rose to number one on the charts.

Those wanting reserved seating for the concert may sign up for the State Fair Fan Club online.  For $30.00, members will receive one reserved seat ticket, one gate admission, a fan club pin and fan club credentials.

Admission to the concert will be free to attendees who purchase a wrist band at the Fair.

More information about the Fair can be found on their website, http://www.statefair.org/fair/.

 

Actor Gavin MacLeod is 82
Actor-director-dancer Tommy Tune is 74
Actor Frank Bonner is 71
Actress Kelly Bishop is 69
Actress Stephanie Beacham is 66
Actress Bernadette Peters is 65
Actress Mercedes Ruehl is 65
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is 58
Actor John Turturro is 56
Singer Cindy Wilson of The B-52’s is 56
Actress Rae Dawn Chong is 52
Actor Robert Sean Leonard is 44
Singer Pat Monahan of Train is 44
Actor Rory Conchrane is 41
Actress Ali Larter is 37
Singer Jason Aldean is 36
Actor Bobb’e J. Thompson is 17
Smokey the Bear 69

Lincoln is competing against San Diego for the honor of hosting the 2015 State Games of America.

The winning city would be visited by about 8,000 amateur athletes. Over four or five days they’d compete in events such as archery or wrestling.

Officials say the State Games of America is a collection of state games programs competing against each other.

Three Lincoln officials will pitch their plan in Dallas on Thursday to the National Congress of State Games, which selects the host city. The decision isn’t expected until May.

The national competition is held every other year. San Diego hosted the games in 2011. The games are being held this year in the Hershey-Harrisburg, Pa., area, from July 31 to Aug. 4.

The North Platte Public Library will be offering computer classes during the month of March.

Each class will be about two hours long and will meet in the main floor meeting room at the Library.  Pre-registration is required and the cost is $10.00 per person.  The classes are geared for beginning computer users.

Those interested in registering can call the Library at (308) 535-8036.

The classes offered are:

Computer Fundamentals, Tuesday, 3/12 at 6:30 PM or Thursday, 3/14 at 9:30 AM:This introductory class will get you familiar with computers, using the mouse and keyboard, basic terminology, shutting down your computer correctly and more.

 

Working in Windows, Tuesday 3/19 at 6:30 PM or Thursday 3/28 at 9:30 AM:Learning to use the Windows operating system, understanding its basic features, creating a simple document with WordPad and saving it on the computer is the focus of this class.

 

Beginning Internet, Tuesday 3/26 at 6:30 PM or Thursday 4/4 at 9:30 AM:  Exploring the World Wide Web, basic searching and learning the features of Internet browsers will be addressed in this class

 

Lindsay Lohan’s attorney has suggested to prosecutors that the actress serve as a motivational speaker and perform non-jail activities to resolve her latest criminal case.

Attorney Mark Heller suggests in a letter obtained Tuesday that Lohan record public service announcements and give inspirational speeches at schools and hospitals to show she is making a serious commitment to improving her life.

The 26-year-old Lohan faces three misdemeanor charges that she was driving recklessly then lied to police about being behind the wheel when her sports car crashed in June.

Santa Monica prosecutor Terry White declined comment on the letter but says discussions on how to resolve Lohan’s case are taking place.

The case is due back in court on Friday.

 

Singer Fats Domino is 85
Guitarist Paul Cotton of Poco is 70
Actor-director Bill Duke is 70
Singer Mitch Ryder is 68
Keyboardist Jonathan Cain of Journey is 63
Singer Michael Bolton is 60
Actor Greg Germann is 55
Actress Jennifer Grant is 47
Bassist Tim Commerford (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine) is 45
Singer Erykah Badu is 42
R&B singer Rico Wade of Society of Soul is 41
Singer Kyle Norman of Jagged Edge is 38
Drummer Chris Culos of O.A.R. is 34
Singer Corinne Bailey Rae is 34
Singer Nate Ruess of fun. is 31
Actress Taylor Dooley is 20.