The infamous Macondo well is now "effectively dead" according to the federal government's number one point man for the Gulf Oil Spill.The owner of the well, BP, began its final cementing operations to cap the well Friday. Workers waited Saturday for the cement to harden inside the well, some 2.5 miles below the sea floor, and then conducted their final pressure tests.

 While the well is sealed, and BP has so far paid $1.6 billion in claims and payments to the government, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D) of Massachusetts says many questions remain unanswered.

"This spill began with a bang, ends with a whimper, and leaves a number of issues still screaming for attention," he said Saturday in a statement regarding the well.

Hurricane Igor is now down to Category 1 status as it approaches the tiny, isolated island of Bermuda.  The storm is expected to dump as much as 9 inches of rain, and significant flooding is expected on the island, especially on its southern coast. With maximum winds near 85 mph, the storm that was recently nicknamed "Igor the Terrible" has waned considerably since it's trip north through the Atlantic Ocean, but the hurricane still is a serious threat to Bermuda and to areas along the East Coast of the United States.

BP's infamous Macondo well is now "effectively dead" according to the federal government's number one point man for the Gulf Oil Spill.

"Additional regulatory steps will be undertaken but we can now state, definitively, that the Macondo well poses no continuing threat to the Gulf of Mexico," former Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen announced.

The owner of the well, BP, began its final cementing operations to cap the well Friday. Workers waited Saturday for the cement to harden inside the well, some 2.5 miles below the sea floor, and then conducted their final pressure tests.

It's a busy time in this Atlantic hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Karl has passed over the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and is expected to make landfall on the mainland late Thursday or early Friday. The storm has strengthened since moving back into the Gulf of Mexico, with sustained winds up to 65 mph. While it has little chance of affecting the US, the Mexico City area is about to be buffeted by some serious wind and rain.

Out in the Atlantic, Hurricanes Karl and Julia are being watched by the astronauts in the International Space Station. The trajectory of both storms so far does not threaten the mainland US, but at 5 mph short of a Category Five hurricane, Hurricane Igor's massive size has earned it the nickname "Igor the Terrible" by American astronaut Douglas Wheelock, who took several photos and a video from the ISS.

NOAA does warn however, that swells from the storm are likely to create life-threatening surf conditions for much of the Caribbean and East Coast.