5 Things To Know This Morning

Nov. 8, 2012 — -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.

1. Snowstorm Slams Parts of Northeast
A nor'easter blustered into parts of the northeast on Wednesday, dumping a foot of snow in Ocean County, New Jersey and more than 4 inches in New York City's Central Park. Wind gusts of 76 miles per hour were reported in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The storm has inflicted more struggle on the thousands of people still reeling from Superstorm Sandy.

2. Christmas Plane Ticket Sales Up
The number of airline tickets sold for Christmas and New Year's is already up more than 50 percent from one year ago. Prices for airfare and hotel rooms during peak holiday periods have spiked sharply.

3. Innocent Man Who Spent 4 Decades in Prison Freed
A man who has spent nearly 4 decades in prison for killing two people pleaded no contest on Wednesday, a move that secured his release from jail. Bill Macumber, 77, has maintained his innocence. The Justice Project says his wife framed him and that another man has confessed to the murders.

4. Anti-Muslin Director Jailed
The California man behind the anti-Muslim film that led to deadly attacks in the Middle East has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter. Mark Basseley Youssef was on probation for a bank fraud case.

5. Dogs Prefer Classical to Metal
New research suggests that dogs prefer classical music to heavy metal music. Dogs in animal shelters were less likely to bark and more likely to sleep when they were played music by Mozart or Beethoven, according to the study from Colorado State University. The findings could lead to new guidelines for dog care in shelters.