[Theme: Citizen Kane] How to achieve website like template picture

I have been trying many different templates in an attempt to create a “news” style website/blog. The demo pic that accompanies this template displays something very close to what I am trying to acheive.

Unfortunately this template (along with virtually every other one I have tried) does not seem to include any functionality to obtain these results. The theme options are all pretty well standard WP basic, all designed to display the standard “blogroll” with only a few customizations of color etc.

Specifically I would like to arrange my content into columns. I would like to have two main columns, perhaps one of them a bit more prominent that would include “Featured items” and a standard sidebar would also work.

Is this only acheivable via customized CSS work? Does Citizen Kane include anything that will acheive what the template pic displays?

Thank you.

https://www.ads-software.com/extend/themes/citizen-kane/