Five stories that have North Texas talking: Actor and Frisco native Alan Tudyk talks about some of his defining roles, including bringing piracy to Dodgeball; KERA-FM celebrates its 40th anniversary; and more. 

Who knew the actor behind Steve The Pirate from the 2004 movie Dodgeball is actually from Frisco? Actor Alan Tudyk talked to entertainment outlet The A.V. Club about some of the roles that have defined his career. His acting resume includes supporting roles in A Knight’s Tale, Firefly, and Disney’s Frozen. His talent for improvisation helped him land the role in Dodgeball, but Tudyk says that audition went against much of what he learned at Juilliard.

• Happy 40^th Birthday to KERA-FM! On July 11, 1974, KERA hit the radio airwaves as the first public radio station for North Texas. Our coverage area initially included Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton suburbs, but has since expanded to include Wichita Falls, Tyler, and Sherman.  For a little throwback, take a listen to some of the original KERA-FM jingles and explore some KERA history. Coincidentally, Dallas-based convenience store franchise 7-Eleven is also celebrating its 87^th birthday with free Slurpees.

• California-based electronic carmaker Tesla Motors is looking at 700 acres of land in southern Dallas County for a $5 billion battery factory, the Dallas Business Journal reports. However, there’s some stiff competition. San Antonio has also been on Tesla’s radar as a site for its battery factory. Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are also trying to woo the carmaker as well. Tesla opened its first store in Dallas last month, even though it can’t sell its cars in Texas thanks to state law.

• A new study is out on sexual assault in universities and the results are surprising. The report found more than 40 percent of schools have not conducted a single sexual assault investigation in the past five years. U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who hoped to bring attention to the issue, commissioned the study. There’s been renewed focus on sexual assaults on college campus. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter told KERA’s Vice President of News Rick Holter about unreported sexual abuse when he worked at Emory University. SMU is also one of 55 colleges currently under investigation over its handling of sexual assault cases.

• The second batch of TEXpress lanes will open this weekend. The managed toll roads will vary in price from 65 cents to $1.65, and it’ll run for 3.6 miles. Dia Kuykendall with the LBJ Express Project tells BJ Austin the new segment will lift drivers over the chronically congested I-35E/I-635 interchange.