GULFPORT — BP officials took a helicopter tour of Mississippi beaches this morning and announced that two years after the country's worst oil spill, almost two-thirds of the state's coastline is considered clean.

There are 293 miles of beaches, bays and inlets, including the barrier islands. And 180 miles are what the company calls "out of response," which means they no longer patrol and monitor them.

State and federal officials agree and have signed off on them.

Oil-response crews are concentrating most of their effort now on tar balls washing up on the barrier islands.

For more details, see tomorrow's Sun Herald.