NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING: * William Thompson Jr., who mounted a surprisingly strong challenge to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009, is fending off questions about how serious his 2013 run for mayor is shaping up to be, the New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/H8z1IO * The U.S. Census acknowledged some errors but rejected a challenge from New York City, which had argued about 200,000 residents were left out of the decennial count, the Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/H7Uy7f * The Bloomberg administration is refusing to disclose a report showing emergency response times have slowed despite investment in a $2 billion 911 system, the Post writes: http://nyp.st/H3gdcW * Gov. Andrew Cuomo's new budget slashes funding for a Pataki-era anti-gun program that tracked used cartridge shells but "never worked," writes the Post's Fred Dicker: http://nyp.st/H7XTOQ * Details on agency compliance with Cuomo's cap on state-funded service provider salaries are scarce as his administration looks at exemptions for hospital executives and others, writes the Times Union: http://bit.ly/H982Nm * Former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, who left the department 16 years ago, has a potentially illegal permit that lets him park anywhere "on official NYPD business," the Post reports: http://nyp.st/H3kUDH   WEEKEND ROUNDUP: * Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is working with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a plan to let parents see teacher evaluations but otherwise keep them private, the Wall Street Journal writes: http://on.wsj.com/HqIvfA * Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, whose office has struggled with challenges to convictions, is suffering from Parkinson's disease and delegates much of his work to a top staffer, writes the Post: http://soc.li/QK1LjwW * Four New York City Council members are introducing constituents to participatory budgeting to decide how to spend their discretionary funds, a rare practice in the U.S., the Times reports: http://nyti.ms/H159Ax