on our broadcast tonight, postage due. a big change coming to an american institution now strugglinging to keep up with the times. wave of destruction. a nation still staggered by the quake and the tsunami. is the government doing enough? under the gun. who gets to decide the right to bear arms? personal best. the label says organic so what is the real difference? making a difference. the idea is catching on. we'll visit a classroom where they put our theme to work. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. we are continuing to cover the ongoing tragedy in chile as we will in a moment. tonight we begin the broadcast with an american institution facing some big changes, which in turn will affect all americans. because life has changed, the post office was once one of the landmarks in town, every town. because many of us send and receive count levee mails every day, the u.s. postal service is feeling it and being forced to change with the times. in fact, it appears to be scrambling to remake the way it does business now. we start with tom costello in our washington newsroom tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. if the postal service were a stand-alone business it might be asking for a government bailout. it's not. it doesn't get any taxpayer assistance, but three outside consultants said if it's going to survive, things have got to change fast.

there may be no bigger example of how the internet is changing the way america lives, online banking, shopping and e-mail mean far fewer bills, letters, catalogs and direct marketing flowing through the mail. total mail volume is already down a whopping 16% just since 2006. over the next decade, volume is expected to drop another 15% to 34%. without quick action, the postal service budget shortfall will climb from $7 billion this year to $238 billion by 2020. today the post master general spelled it out. >> the postal service is facing a severe income gap that we absolutely have to close. >> reporter: the postal service has a plan. cancel saturday mail delivery as soon as next year. close inefficient post offices, raise postage rates and open

kiosk in grocery store and pharmacies to reach more customers. in california, elaine lewis doesn't like the idea. >> if i ordered something for christmas or birthday and if i'm not going to get it on a saturday, that's an extra day. >> reporter: it's up to congress to approve the changes. in the past it said no, but this time it may be prepared to act. >> the postal service is going to run a deficit over the next ten years of over $200 billion if we do nothing. nothing is not an option. >> reporter: conscious repeatedly hamstrung the postal service making it illegal to close post offices and requiring it to prepay all retiree benefits upfront, something no other agency must do. today the postal board of governors urged congress to act quickly. >> the postal service finds itself on a course that is simply unsustainable. >> reporter: the word "dire" was repeatedly used over and over again today. one of the options not being discussed for the postal service is lay-offs.

more than 650,000 postal workers will keep their jobs for now. >> tom costello in washington. thanks. we return to the big story we've been covered in chile, a country brought to its knees sunday by the massive earthquake and tsunami countless aftershocks that followed. the death toll is continuing to rise, now near 800. the u.s. military deployed 14,000 troops to the area. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton arrived today and met with chile's president. the effects of the disaster are being felt in the heart of chile including the town of concepcion where almost half the deaths took place. our own ann curry is there tonight. reporting begins with her. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. that's right. this town of concepcion may have been the worst place to be when this disaster struck. anna maria of concepcion coming

to grips with one of the strongest earthquakes on record and a tsunami wave did to her home of 30 years. she and her husband are only alive because their son woke them and told them to run. in life, she says, we get so caught up in material things and we should value more than those things. here along the coast, locals say after the quake there were as many as five tsunami waves. one of which they describe as being 50 feet high. in concepcion the waves caught a 1 1/2 mile swath with a force strong enough to flip over flatbed trucks and completely erase what used to be a row of seaside businesses in this town. many people are still missing. as concepcion's 38,000 people more than 350 are known dead, the number still rising. 17-year-old victor lost eight

members of his familiarly, including his mother, three brothers and his child. the quake alone destroyed 90% of concepcion's downtown where there is little gas and electricity, no running water and so far little government help, though troops enforce a dusk to dawn curfew. not waiting for government help, anna maria's family is a study in resilience. everyone, children, cousins pitching in and picking up the pieces, their spirit unbroken. anna maria who lost her clothing shop is saying, yes, it hurts i lost my house and work. how will your family survive this? she answered, "we have the force of loving from caring for your family. from god." above the waterline in her home, pictures of her children and faith, that like chile, she will rebuild her life one piece at a time. the biggest need here on the

ground is clean water and food. currently there is no place to buy them and no word on when those supplies might arrive, brian. >> ann curry, we are still seeing so many of these pictures and scenes for the first time because of the traveling you did overnight. thanks for your reporting tonight. there are big differences between the recent quake in haiti and this one in chile, a country which, after all, has a functioning government, higher quality con struck and actual infrastructure in place, but has the government's response there been up to the enormous task? that part of the story tonight from nbc's mark potter in santiago. >> reporter: throughout the disaster zone, desperate victims with no food, water or basic supplies have been complaining loudly about the lack of relief effort. wondering where is the government? this man says, "we need the authorities. we have nothing to eat.

we are pulling stuff from the garbage." this woman says, "we lost everything. everything." today outgoing chilean president michelle bachelet announced that hundreds of tons of food, water and other supplies are being distributed now. she also welcomed secretary of state hillary clinton who delivered satellite phones and promised more u.s. assistance. >> i'm going to give this one to you, madam president. >> reporter: more aid is coming from other countries and the united nations. many people say this should have begun oifr the weekend after the earthquake struck early saturday morning. even the government itself criticizes the chilean navy for failing to warn the public about the tsunami danger after the earthquake. and the former speaker of the chilean house says the military should have mobilized immediately to coordinate the relief effort. >> the army has the resources,

has the equipment and has the training to deal with these kinds of situations, and i think we waited too long. >> reporter: the interior minister says such a large relief effort takes a long time to coordinate properly, leaving the new government which is to be sworn in next week, with the challenge of reassuring the public that help is on the way. mark potter, nbc news, santiago, chile. there is more information on how you can support the relief efforts under way in chile. we posted all of it on our website nightly.msnbc.com. in this country, another hearing on those toyota recalls today. u.s. transportation secretary ray lahood told law makers the obama administration is considering requiring all vehicles sold in this country to have a brake override system that would prevent this kind of sudden acceleration. the feature deactivates the accelerators when the brake pedal is pressed. it's already offered by several different car makers, including

nissan and volkswagen. general motors has been trying to make the most of toyota's problems, but this won't help. gm announced it's recalling 1.3 million chevies and pontiacs because of reports of problems with the power steering. models sold in the u.s. involved in the recall, chevy cobalt and pontiac g-5. figures out today show ford has taken the most advantage of the toyota troubles. as new car buyers continue to reward ford for not taking bailout money, its sales up 43%. gm up 12%, toyota sales down 9% in the immediate wake of the recall and the controversy over how it was handled. ford sold more cars than gm last month the first time in 1998. in washington, the u.s. supreme court today took up one of the most important cases ever, regarding the right to own a gun. two years ago the court said residents of washington, d.c.,

have the right to keep a hand gun at home for self-defense purposes. today, the justices seemed prepared to rule that same right applies to 90 million gun owners across the country. our justice correspondent pete williams has our report. >> reporter: otis mcdonald lived in this southside chicago neighborhood for 38 years, but says with gangs and drug dealers spreading in -- >> it's a nerve-racking thing. >> reporter: he would feel safer if he could have a hand gun. >> this will give people like myself a little bit of a better feeling sitting in my own home. >> reporter: so he is suing the city, joining others in a challenge to chicago's strict ban on hand guns. two years ago the u.s. supreme court said washington, d.c., prevented from prohibiting hand guns. now challengers say they should apply nationwide.

>> the second amendment secures the rights to arms because we all have an individual interest in self-defense and self-preservation. >> reporter: constitutional rights do not apply automatically to cities and states. chicago and other big cities say the second amendment shouldn't either. >> state and local governments should reside what works best under their local conditions. >> reporter: today a clear majority of the court seemed prepared to strike down chicago's hand gun ban and apply the second amendment nationwide. several justices said local communities could still have some gun controls. justice scalia, we find what the minimumal constitutional right is and everything above that is up to the states. and justice kennedy, "states would have ample authority to impose reasonable regulations." gun control advocates took some comfort in that. >> anything beyond gun in the home for self-defense is something that states and cities can regulate. >> reporter: the next legal battles are already brewing over carrying guns in public, taking

them into churches, schools and restaurants, and requirements to keep them locked up while at home. pete williams, nbc news at the supreme court. one more note from the supreme court. the justices refused to request for an emergency stay of the new same-sex marriage law for the district of columbia, clearing the way for it to take effect tomorrow. chief justice john roberts said the high court defers to the rulings of d.c. courts in local matters. when our broadcast continue for a tuesday night, our series personal best. tonight, when you pay for organic, what are you getting for your money? >> and later, lessons in making a difference. woman down from nasal allergy attack. but we've got the ammunition she needs: omnaris. (troops) omnaris! to the nose. (general) omnaris works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris fights nasal allergy symptoms that occur from allergic inflammation... relieve those symptoms with omnaris. side effects may include headache, nosebleed and sore throat. her nose is at ease. we have lift off. (general) remember omnaris! ask your doctor.

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back now as promised with tonight's installment of a series we are calling "personal best" and how you can get there. tonight, the organic trend. a big business. the question, are people getting what they pay extra for? here is nbc's lisa myers. >> reporter: they come rain or shine, packing the tent at the sarasota farmers' market to buy organic food. >> they have the best cucumbers here. >> reporter: carrots, avocado, eggplant, radishes. promoted as better for you, organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of u.s. agriculture. with sales last year estimated

at $25 billion, up from $1 billion two decades ago. many believe organics are more nutritious, but there is actually little scientific evidence of that. we asked this dietician to compare organic lettuce. >> big difference is the price. the conventional lettuce is 18 cents an ounce and the organic is 50 cents an ounce. >> it costs more to produce organic food. it's a much more intense method of farming. >> reporter: what distinguishes organic products is how they are grown or raised. when you see the u.s. department of agriculture's organic seal, who synthetic chemicals, no hormones, no antibiotics or genetic engineering to produce that plant or animal. that alone appeals to a lot of parents. >> i just try to give me kids the best food possible.

for me that's no added pesticides. >> reporter: organic farmers argue it's better for the environment. >> our goal in organic agriculture is to create an ecosystem that is working with nature to grow plants without using toxins. >> reporter: but critics say it simply isn't feasible to feed the world without toxins, that organic farming takes more land and ultimately produces left. for individual families, the decision about buying organic may come down to being chemical or pesticide-free is worth the higher price. lisa myers, nbc news, washington. we put more on this topic on our website, nightly.msnbc.com. we'll continue our series tomorrow night. "personal best" where sleep is concerned. when we come back, where the air is concerned as new york goes these days so goes the world. i've had asthma for 12 years.

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a new study out from the partnership for a drug-free america says teenage marijuana and alcohol use was up last year after ten straight years of decline. the number of kids in grades 9 through 11 said they drank alcohol was up 11% from '08. that's just what was reported, of course. the number who said they smoke pot increased by 19% from just the year before. abuse of prescription drugs held steady. big story here in new york quickly becoming a story for all who fly. the main runway at jfk has been shut down for widening and resurfacing for the next four months. that's the best-case scenario. in the meantime, the number of flights per day has been reduced and air travelers far and wide are bracing for some serious delays. we have a sad story to

deliver to you tonight. if you were watching us this past friday night then you saw our profile of the 1960 u.s. men's gold medal olympic hockey team, including our interview with team member john mayasich. a little over 24 hours after that story aired, john's grandson robby was running in a road race between prescott and mesa, arizona. he was struck by a car and today died of his injuries. his dad dan works for our nbc station in phoenix, so this is a death in the family for all of us. robby mayasich, grandson of an olympic gold medalist hoped to attend harvard in the fall. he was 18 years old. our thoughts and prayers are with his family. when we come back, some students making a difference. ♪ [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. but with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed.

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finally tonight, we have the fortunate distinction of bringing you something good that came out of something we did. in this case a segment we regularly air on this broadcast about people who are making a difference. some students in michigan have become big fans, it seems. as a result, wanted to do

something themselves. nbc's john yang has our report tonight from lansing. >> good morning. welcome to the class. good morning. >> reporter: these eighth graders of the windermere park charter academy in lansing, michigan, are taking a class on the abcs of giving. >> students your age could definitely make a difference. >> reporter: the it is an especially meaningful lesson here with the ravages of the recession and odyssey visible from classroom windows. >> we were trying to find a way to make the thins we teach real to our students and help show a way to reach out to the community. >> reporter: in class, the students make quilts for homeless shelters and mentor some of the school's younger children. another part of the lesn plan? >> tonight's making a difference report. >> reporter: making a difference stories from "nightly news." >> zach decided to take action. >> i said mom, we've got to feed dogs. >> we pick segments that do

relate to children. then they can see age doesn't matter. even young children can make a difference. >> reporter: here at this local food bank the students are taking the lesson out of the classroom and bringing it into the community, preparing packages of food for school children so they don't miss meals over the weekend. making a difference student liam martin organized this extra curricular trip. >> i think the it's really improved my understanding of how we really need to help some of the people out there who aren't as fortunate as we are. >> we wanted you to see how nice it looks. >> reporter: back in class, students finish work on the quilts and deliver them to the shelters. >> we would like to give you a blanket. >> well, thank you. >> reporter: one of the recipients is a single mother of nine. >> i feel really good i'm giving the person i give the quilts to. >> reporter: a practical lesson in the rewards of making a difference, no matter how old you are. john lang, nbc news, lansing, michigan. >> nice way toned our broadcast for this tuesday evening. thank you as always for being

with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com