Ellington

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi plans to use $15 million of BP oil spill recovery money to help build a minor league baseball stadium in downtown Biloxi.

Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement Thursday.

The rest of the $35 million stadium will be paid for by up to $21 million that the city of Biloxi has agreed to borrow.

Bryant says it's appropriate to use BP money because the stadium will enhance tourism on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, offsetting effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.

Before the state gives the money, a group led by Ken Young will have to complete the purchase of an unnamed minor league team and get approval to move it to Biloxi. Speculation has centered on the relocation of Southern League teams now in Jackson, Tenn., and Huntsville, Ala.