5 Things to Know This Morning

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

1. Chris Hemsworth Named People's Sexiest Man Alive 2014

"Thor" star Chris Hemsworth is People’s Sexiest Man Alive, topping challengers Chris Pratt, Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. He succeeds last year’s honoree Adam Levine, the Maroon 5 lead singer.

The honor was announced on Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” with Hemsworth – his voice and face concealed – appearing via Skype as audience members tried to guess his identity.

2. Buffalo Snow Storm Turns Deadly

The early winter snow that has buried parts of the Buffalo area has become a deadly storm blamed for the deaths of a number of people in Erie County, New York.

Dozens of vehicles, including a bus carrying the Niagara University women's basketball team, were stranded and even snow plows are getting stuck in the deep snow.

The storm has dumped more than 4 feet of snow in places and has been accompanied by high winds creating bone chilling conditions and thick drifts.

3. What May Happen to Officer Darren Wilson After Ferguson Grand Jury Decision

The Ferguson police officer under investigation for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown will soon learn if he will be indicted in the unarmed teen's death.

As the world awaits the decision from a grand jury, there are many scenarios that could play out for the officer, Darren Wilson, who has been on paid administrative leave from the police department since the shooting in August.

If Wilson is cleared of criminal charges in Brown's death, legally he would be able to continue working as a cop in Ferguson, but many people can't imagine Wilson would ever return to that police force. Wilson may also face an internal investigation that could result in disciplinary action from the police department.

4. Missouri Executes Leon Taylor for 1994 Killing

A man who killed a suburban Kansas City gas station attendant in front of the worker's young stepdaughter in 1994 was put to death early Wednesday, the ninth execution in Missouri this year.

Leon Taylor, 56, was pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. at the state prison in Bonne Terre, minutes after receiving a lethal injection. With Taylor's death, 2014 ties 1999 for having the most executions in a year in Missouri.

Taylor shot worker Robert Newton to death in front of Newton's 8-year-old stepdaughter during a gas station robbery in Independence, Missouri. Taylor tried to kill the girl, too, but the gun jammed.

Taylor's fate was sealed Tuesday when Gov. Jay Nixon declined to grant clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court turned down his appeal.

5. Keystone Pipeline Fails to Get Through Senate

The controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline failed to win approval in the Senate by one vote, a blow to Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu who hoped to be able to push it through.

Landrieu, a Democrat who is in a tight December run-off to keep her Senate seat, was one of the lead sponsors of the bill and had expressed confidence earlier in the day that she and other supporters had rounded up the 60 votes necessary to approve the long stalled project.

The final vote was 59-41.