Custom WordPress Theme Development (PHP, MySQL, Development, WordPress, CMS)

Hello, I have a custom WordPress theme that I'm working on and need some help. The theme has already been setup and coded to valid XHTML. I need some programming help with the following: - Stripping HTML code from post excerpts on homepage - Making the rotating banner on the homepage function - Anything posted in the "Featured" category will end up in this banner. - Automatically grab first image in post and use as banner image - Limit to three banners - Display 5 recent tweets in the sidebar with "More" buttons to view more tweets - Make search bar in header function and search through site This will be hourly work and I'll be available on IM for any questions throughout the project. Brief screenshot of the existing WordPress site is attached. Thanks