I want to be able to use a design I have and use a php call in a certain area so I can integrate the news into my own website without using wordpress's template.
Something like: <?php include('news.php'); ?> would be place in a table on my site and the news would display from that call.
Is there a way to do this?
Yes it is....
There are two ways....
The first is to use an RSS feed reader, such as CG-FeedRead (there are at least two others, this just happens to be one that I've used.) and include that on your page where you want the news to appear. The nice thing about CG-FR is that it can be used standalone, it doesn't need to be specifically activated as a plugin.
The other method is for you to include the necessary files and build your own loop. This give you greater control over the layout, but it will also take longer to set up.
-tg