Lehman gets BofA’s Archstone stake for $696M, Blackstone raises $6B distressed property fund … and more

1. Blackstone Group has raised $6 billion for a new distressed property fund [Bloomberg]
2. $100M mortgage fraudster pleads guilty to plotting a murder of key witness in his fraud trial [NYT]
3. Mayor Bloomberg said NYC wouldn’t contribute money to ensure 3 WTC is completed as planned [Post]
4. Lehman Brothers will pay BofA $695.7M for its stake in Archstone [Bloomberg]
5. Romney attacks Gingrich’s $25,000-per-month consulting contract with Freddie Mac at Republican debates last night [Post]
6. GOP candidates are putting a disproportionally bright spotlight on Fannie and Freddie’s roles in the housing bust [CNN]
7. Inside the 1,200-square-foot apartment for which an 80-year-old renter pays $332 per month [NYT]
8. Neighbors fight to save Brooklyn Heights Cinema from becoming a five-story apartment building [Brooklyn Paper]
9. Soho residents want DOT presence at Broome Street, which drivers are “turning into a parking lot” [CBS]
10. DOB investigation reveals work on 285 Madison Avenue elevator caused tragedy [NYT]
11. Brooklyn Grange, world’s largest rooftop farm, expands to new farm in the Navy Yard [InHabitat]
12. National Association of Home Builders survey shows homeownership is voters’ top issue [Realty Times]