December Child Theme display issues

Display issues:
1. In my search boxes the categories list populates correctly but the location and state do not populate with the states listed in the database.
2. The panel around the central search box is too small and the keyword query box extends outside of its borders.
3. How do I remove advertise panels on side columns? My default setting is to not advertise.
4. My listings will not have any images associated with them. How do I remove images/thumbnails from listings and search results?
5. The star ratings should be on a separate line of its own and not on the same line as the listing.
6. The Favorite and see more links appear outside of their panels.

The December theme looks nice but I’m having a hard time figuring out how the Appearance-Customization settings effect it.
The site is http://www.paralegalinsights.com.
Thanks for any assistance.
Rick