Bronx residents want firehouse to stay open, speculators dominate real estate sales … and more

1. Bronx residents protest firehouse closing [NYDN]
2. Nets arena in Atlantic Yards may be scaled back [NYDN]
3. Thor Equities kicks Lola Staar’s boutique out of Coney Island [NYDN] and [NY1]
4. Speculators dominate real estate sales [Bloomberg]
5. U.S. banks offer mortgages below 5 percent [Bloomberg]
6. East Village bar Holiday Cocktail could close [Villager, 4th item]
7. Sept. 11 memorial may finish ahead of schedule [Crain’s]
8. A look at fourth-quarter real estate reports [NY1]