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WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials say that budget strains will force the Pentagon to cut its aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf area from two carriers to one. Officials say Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has formally approved a plan to keep just one carrier in the region. There have been two aircraft carrier groups there for most of the last two years. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the Gulf but was brought home in December for maintenance. It will return later this month, but plans for the USS Harry S. Truman to deploy to the Gulf this week have been canceled. The officials discussed the cuts on condition of anonymity, because the announcement has not been made.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A former fire chief has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from the St. Clair Fire District in eastern Missouri.

Eric Hinson pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Sentencing is May 2.

Hinson admitted stealing the money from January 2006 through September 2011. He took cash advances on a district credit card and used the card for family vacations in Florida and Hawaii and to pay for personal purchases. He altered records to hide the theft.

Hinson started as a volunteer firefighter in 1985. He became chief in January 2011 and was paid about $25,000 annually for the part-time job.

He became chief in the St. Louis County town of Ladue in July 2011 but resigned two months later amid the St. Clair investigation

Job seekers can apply for one of nearly a thousand seasonal positions at St. Louis area Home Depot stores.

Fox 2 reports that the company has around 975 positions available. These jobs are not all temporary, as Home Depot transitions about half of their season hires into regular positions. The company is also working to help military veterans find a job at Home Depot. They have launched an Online Military Skills Translator to help match unique military skills with positions within the company.

All the information can be found at careers.homedepot.com