Today, the New York Times profiles the controversy surrounding Alaska's senior Senator, Ted Stevens, and provides a concise explanation of the situation unfolding:

Questions have arisen about the senator’s ties to a former Alaska oil industry executive and about renovations to Mr. Stevens’s home here as part of a wide-ranging public corruption inquiry in Alaska by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation has exposed improper links between an oil-field services company, VECO, and lawmakers in the State Legislature, including Mr. Stevens’s son, Ben, the former president of the State Senate.

The former executive, Bill J. Allen, who was the chief executive of VECO, pleaded guilty last month to bribery and other charges. Mr. Allen acknowledged then that the $243,250 that VECO paid to Ben Stevens from 2002 to 2006 for supposed consulting work while he was in the State Senate was instead to pay for “giving advice, lobbying colleagues and taking official acts in matters before the Legislature,” according to an outline of the plea.

Three former state lawmakers and one current one have been indicted. Ben Stevens has not been charged with a crime, but the investigation continues and appears to be expanding. Last week, investigators asked neighbors of Senator Ted Stevens in Girdwood what they knew about a major renovation of his house in 2000. According to the contractor who did most of the work, the project was largely overseen by Mr. Allen, although the senator and his wife, Catherine, wrote checks to pay the bills.

“It looks so bad,” the contractor, Augie Paone, said of the scrutiny of the senator. “But he just happens to be in a bad spot right now because Bill Allen is in a bad spot.”

The elder Mr. Stevens, a Republican, has strong ties to Mr. Allen. Along with several other men, they jointly bought a racehorse, So Long Birdie, and they sometimes dine together at the Double Musky Inn in Girdwood, a New Orleans-style restaurant owned by another member of the horse racing group, Bob Persons.

VECO has long been active in state and federal politics, and Mr. Allen was once forced to register as a lobbyist because he spent so much time at the Capitol in Juneau.

It is unclear whether Mr. Stevens’s actions are a central focus of the investigation or if they are under scrutiny for clues they might provide about the actions of others, including his son. A spokesman for the F.B.I. in Anchorage, Eric Gonzalez, declined to comment.