[wp-hackers] get_posts / query_posts need a pro

[Mr. Awesome]

I really need some professional coders on this one. I had this problem 
before, but no one really could help before. Here's what I'm trying to 
do...

I'm making a theme currently, where ONE POST is calling ONE POST from 
ONE category. This post sits right under the header logo, then below 
that post is the navigation menu, then below the navigation menu are the 
rest of the posts...

The ONE post at the top is going to be like a "special announcement" or 
"site news" type of post only. It only needs ONE post at a time up 
there. Then of course, the rest of the posts below that upper post... 
are going to be the normal posts... The problem I had  before is... when 
using query_posts... like this example below here:

<?php query_posts('showposts=1&cat=3') ?>

To display the SINGLE post from a SINGLE category... then used this one 
for the remaining category posts...

 <?php query_posts('cat=1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,17,18,19,20,') ?>

It kills on the page load times, PLUS... when trying to click the "< 
previous entries" example: (http://localhost/?paged=2) all those posts 
are the SAME posts as on the index page... Is there a way around this 
type of issue or?

I was wondering if GET_POSTS would do what I wanted... like, get_post = 
(from this category only, only one) some how... then some how exclude 
those posts for the rest of the others in the lower section below... Any 
one with any helpful tips, ideas, code? Thanks in advance...