NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING: * Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind apologized for wearing blackface and an afro wig at a party celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim after initially dismissing criticism of the costume, The New York Daily News writes: http://nydn.us/YTfRge The Bloomberg administration has employed a new legal strategy intended to curb the number of civil rights lawsuits against New York City by contesting weaker cases in court rather than offering settlements to avoid trial, The New York Times writes: http://nyti.ms/V4bzpC Two months after issuing an audit excoriating the Bloomberg administration for allowing overbilling in a contract with Hewlett Packard, New York City Comptroller John Liu awarded the company a $550,000 no-bid contract for printing services, The New York Post writes: http://bit.ly/127nE1w A state Senate committee will take up a bill that would legalize Mixed Martial Arts fighting, reigniting a perennial debate in Albany where Assembly Democrats have typically blocked professional MMA fighting due to moral objections, the Times-Union reports: http://bit.ly/13dhYlY