I am sure that I am missing something very basic, so please forgive me if this question is really basic.

I installed this portal software a few hours ago and have been having fun trying to learn the basics. Anyway, I have stumbled into an error I can't seem to shake.

Anyway, here is my site:

http://www.mrjeanson.com

Here is what I want to do: I want to have news items like on the main page here (xoops.org). For example, they currently have a news item regarding security, and I like the way that it looks on the page.

The closest thing I can get is a dropdown where you pick the category that you want to view.

I want to list the most recent news items, but I can't seem to figure out how to do this with images along the same lines as on the main page.

I am sure this question requires a simple answer. Thanks for your help!