Sen. Stevens files for reelection

Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. Senate, filed for reelection in Anchorage despite a federal investigation into his ties to an oil field services contractor.

Federal authorities are reviewing the remodeling of the 84-year-old’s official residence in a resort near Anchorage; the contractor helped do the work, but Stevens hasn’t been charged, and he has said he paid all bills presented to him.

He told reporters he decided to run again to battle high unemployment and energy costs. He said he thinks the state’s development has been stymied by “extreme environmentalists.”