Roughly 437,000 travelers are expected to take off from Denver International Airport between Thursday and Tuesday, according to a news release from the airport. That����ap a 2% decrease from the same holiday weekend in 2025, airport officials said.

The busiest travel days will be Thursday, Friday and Monday, airport officials said in the release. More than 80,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport����ap security checkpoints on each of those days.

Despite the small dip in anticipated travelers, Denver remains the ninth most popular destination in the U.S. for Memorial Day, behind Orlando, Seattle, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Anchorage and Chicago, according to data from AAA.

Americans overall are expected to travel at record numbers, with 45 million taking trips of at least 50 miles from home, including more than 39 million by car and nearly 3.7 million by plane, . Those estimates are both slightly higher than 2025 and, together, are a 5% jump from 2019 levels, the report stated.

“Despite all the headwind you think would weigh against it, Americans are traveling,” AAA spokesperson Skyler McKinley said.

While AAA doesn’t break down state-level travel data, officials said in-state traffic over the holiday weekend could “easily surpass” historical averages, especially in the mountains. Drivers headed to the mountains on Interstate 70 are advised to travel before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on both Friday and Monday.

Last year, traffic peaked at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel at 4 p.m. Friday, with more than 2,000 cars pushing through the tunnel each hour; noon Saturday, with roughly 2,000 cars an hour; and 1 p.m. Monday, with more than 2,500 cars per hour, according to state transportation officials. On average, 151,000 vehicles travel into Colorado’s mountains for the holiday weekend.

“Memorial Day is historically quiet in between winter and summer tourism seasons, but a low 2026 snowpack means more access in Colorado’s high country,” CDOT Director of Maintenance and Operations Shawn Smith . “We anticipate this increased accessibility will entice a much higher volume of motorists into the mountains than we typically see.”

On the Front Range, drivers can expect to see the heaviest traffic on northbound Interstate 25 between Denver and Fort Collins at around 5 p.m. Monday, with the drive taking up to 1 hour and 47 minutes.

“It won’t be bonkers out there, but it will be busy,” McKinley said.

, CDOT’s traffic operations manager, said Memorial Day usually sits in the middle of “mud season,” where the snow from winter has partially melted, but popular areas haven’t quite dried out.

“This year, it����ap a little bit different because we haven’t had a lot of snow, we haven’t had a lot of moisture,” he said. “So we think that there’ll be a few more people than normal headed up the corridor. … Take your time, and pack your patience.”

To account for the increased traffic, the department plans to suspend all statewide construction and maintenance projects between Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning, according to the release.

The worst congestion is expected on Floyd Hill, where the highway goes from three lanes to two, and approaching the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel.

“Memorial Day travel is still reaching record levels, but with the smallest year-over-year increase in more than a decade,” AAA spokesperson Tiffany Wright stated in the report. “Although travel demand remains strong, higher fuel prices and persistent inflation may cause some travelers to shorten trips, delay plans, or stay closer to home.”

Colorado generally follows the national pattern for when traffic is the heaviest on holiday weekends, McKinley said.

AAA’s national data shows the worst times to drive — because of heavy congestion anticipated on roadways — will fall between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Other heavy traffic periods will include:

• 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 21
• 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 22
• 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 23
• 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 25

For those traveling through DIA, security wait times can change quickly and often peak between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to airport officials.

“Passengers are encouraged to check TSA security wait times at and to arrive inside the airport at least two hours before their boarding time to ensure they have plenty of time to check bags, travel through security and arrive at their gate,” officials stated in the release.

Travelers can also check and online before they arrive at the airport.

Despite that, Denver International Airport is sticking to its that prohibits all marijuana, with no exception for medical use.

The states that medical marijuana is allowed in both carry-on and checked bags. “The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint,” the site says.

“TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”

TSA did not provide details on how much medical marijuana may be allowed per person on a flight.

At DIA, any marijuana is prohibited, according to . “It is illegal to take marijuana across state lines. Denver International Airport prohibits marijuana on its property.” The ban covers the possession, use, display, transfer, transport, distribution, and sale of marijuana anywhere at the airport.

Marijuana for medical use is legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Colorado and 23 other states have also legalized marijuana for recreational use.  On April 23, the U.S. Department of Justice reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a “Schedule II” drug with low potential for creating dependence.

As someone who is “not the best person with bugs and stuff,” Stephanie Bernaba never imagined herself becoming an outdoorsy mom.

But the mother of three is getting more daring as gas prices and other  make vacations more expensive. Her family has traded pricier trips, such as long summer stays in Florida and an annual Disney World visit around her birthday, for local beaches, bike rides and hiking trails near their home in coastal Rhode Island.

“I’ve been trying to do more of that because one, it����ap quality time. Two, it����ap fresh air. And three, we’re not spending an arm and a leg,” Bernaba, 47, said.

That kind of calibration is shaping the summer travel season, which gets its traditional start in the U.S. with the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Higher fuel prices resulting from  and other  are making most forms of travel costlier as people in many parts of the world form their plans.

The U.S. Travel Association expects annual travel spending to grow by a modest 1% this year, powered largely by domestic leisure travel despite the FIFA World Cup giving soccer fans from other countries a reason to visit the U.S. Airfares have climbed  along with the price of jet fuel as the war constrains global oil supplies.

Sticking closer to home may not cushion the sticker shock. The nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated Americans would collectively spend an extra $3.5 billion  over the holiday weekend. The average price for a  in the U.S. was $4.56 on Thursday compared to $3.18 , according to motor club AAA.

Other travel expenses have gone up too. The latest  showed airfares were 20.7% higher in April from a year earlier, the cost of intracity transit such as buses and subways rose 5.6%, lodging cost 4.3% more, and eating out got 3.6% pricier.

Changing travel patterns

Despite elevated prices, industry forecasts suggest Americans still want to get away, even if it means replacing long trips with long weekends, choosing destinations closer to home and finding ways to cut costs by cooking meals or using buses and trains instead of driving.

AAA predicted that 45 million U.S. residents would travel at least 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) from home between Thursday and Monday for the holiday. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen 18.3 million passengers from Thursday to next Wednesday.

Many households are planning summer vacations but making tradeoffs such as shorter trips or cheaper lodging, according to Bank of America analysts. Mastercard said in a recent report that consumers appeared increasingly focused on value and were adjusting their destinations and timing instead of not going away at all.

“Generally, it����ap certainly more of a demand reshuffling than a demand softening,” David Tinsley, a senior economist at Bank of America Institute, said.

For the Bernaba family, that has meant trading a big vacation for a shorter trip nearby this summer. Their scaled-back itinerary still is pricey: more than $400 for a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for their car and passengers, and about $800 a night for each of the two hotel rooms the family of five needs.

Another family that had planned to join them backed out after seeing the price tag.

“The pinch is being felt all the way around,” Bernaba said.

Analysts have increasingly described travel spending  with higher-income households continuing to spend while  pull back or opt out entirely. Bank of America said lower-income households were significantly more likely to report having no summer travel plans this year.

New polling of registered U.S. voters by Quinnipiac University found that 48% have cut back on vacation spending, 54% have reduced what they spend on dining out, and 36% have curbed their driving.

Travelers are confronting other stressors besides cost.

Airlines around the world have  to save on fuel and operating costs, leaving passengers with fewer options. The conflict in the Middle East has complicated getting there and rerouted flights to and from Asia, adding another  on top of broader geopolitical tensions and the declining  for people considering trips abroad.

Recent U.S. government shutdowns, which caused major flight disruptions and , also are likely still fresh in travelers’ minds.

The various factors impacting travel right now has made planning trips more mentally taxing and may be pushing people toward simpler and more accessible vacations that feel easier to manage, said Marta Soligo, a tourism sociologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“The key word here is unpredictability,” Soligo said. “Tourists don’t like unpredictability.”

Quality over quantity

Jim Wang, a personal finance blogger who lives in Maryland with his wife and four children, said his family’s original plan to travel to Spain to see a full solar eclipse in August began to unravel once they looked at the logistics.

Beyond thousands of dollars in airfare, the trip would have required multiple connecting flights, plus a car rental to reach northern Spain, where the path of totality is expected to pass.

“It����ap like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to see the eclipse that much,’” Wang said.

Instead, Wang’s family plans to head this summer to the Lake Tahoe area straddling �����Ի���, where they can stay at a relative’s cabin for free, hike and enjoy a slower pace with limited cellphone service. His wife’s parents and sister expect to join them.

“We’re still going to travel. It’ll just be different,” Wang said. “The vacations are no longer as grand for the adults. But for our kids, it����ap still exciting.”

Nancy McGehee, a Virginia Tech hospitality professor who studies consumer behavior, said travelers are increasingly focusing more on the “why than the where” when it comes to vacations.

“What we’re seeing is people are saying, ‘Alright, we can’t do that big splashy trip we wanted to do, but what else can we do?’” McGehee said. “It����ap more quality over quantity that we’re seeing people go for.”

Back in Rhode Island, Bernaba has accepted that travel may look different for her family for a while.

“I think that����ap probably why my mind has gone to doing more nature-y things,” she said. “Let����ap learn how to use the earth to enjoy ourselves because that����ap not going to cost as much money.”

The price to fly is , according to

In early February, before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, average domestic airfare in the country clocked in at $326, according to Kayak, which was about 6.5% more expensive the same time the previous year.

After the war began, plane tickets kept rising, Kayak data showed.

By mid-March, average domestic airfare rose to $361 — about 19% higher than 2025’s plane ticket costs, according to Kayak.

As of May 11, the most recent available data, average domestic airfare reached $383 — about 30% more expensive than this time last year.

out of Denver International Airport for those last-minute travelers looking to get away. The cheapest routes are based on the averages of the company’s cheapest round-trip flight prices on economy class, according to their methodology.

Las Vegas

If you’re in the mood for late nights, neon and a gamble, the cheapest average airfare out of DIA to Sin City will set you back about $124 in May, . A weekday average price for one of many hotel options is around $149 per night and $196 nightly on the weekends, the travel website found. August and October are the busiest travel months in Las Vegas,

Chicago

The cheapest airfare to the Windy City out of DIA this May could cost you, on average, $157. , the average price for a hotel room on a weekday is $336 — on weekends, that bumps up to about $405 per night. The travel website found that August and July were the most popular based on their past two years’ worth of data and advised avoiding those months if you want to cut back on crowds.

Los Angeles

The most affordable airfare to access the sun, sand and celebrity sightseeing this May can set you back an average plane trip ticket of $122. Booking a hotel room costs, on average, $260 for a weeknight and $284 nightly on the weekends, . The travel website also found July and August to be the busiest months for travelers, so keep in mind if you’re looking to claim some prime beach seating.

Mexico City, Mexico

Take in the history, excellent food and cultural landmarks from our neighbors to the south this May for the cheapest average flight price of $270. A hotel room in Mexico City, Mexico can set you back $113 per night for a weeknight and $110 on weekends. Kayak found December and October to be the busiest travel months based on their data.

Miami

For $150, you can budget airfare out of DIA and be singing “Bienvenidos a Miami” in no time. A weeknight hotel price can cost around $189 on average while a weekend night can set you back $251. Kayak found December and March to be the busiest travel months.

Seattle

If you’re in the mood for water, mountains, cityscape and greenspace, you can book a plane trip out of DIA to Seattle for about $156, on average. Booking a weeknight hotel room can set you back, on average, $334 per night while the weekend is looking like $371, according to Kayak. The travel website said August and July are the most popular months to visit the city.

Washington, D.C.

Maybe a museum-heavy trip is more your style. In that case, the cheapest plane trip to the nation’s capitol in May would cost around $152. A hotel room will tack on another $270 for weeknights, on average, and $249 on weekends. August and July are listed as Kayak’s busiest months of the year in the city.

The inquiry by attorneys at Caplan & Earnest, released Monday, says former Superintendent Christopher Smith and his wife, Brenda Smith, the district����ap human resources director, “more likely than not” violated board policy in their dealings with Education Accelerated and spent district money on personal travel costs.

�ճ���� provided new details on the Smiths’ travel to conferences, with the investigation finding that the couple charged Cherry Creek for costs of events they did not attend or only partially attended.

The investigation also found that the Smiths “had a close personal relationship with EA’s principal, David Palumbo, and further that the Smiths actively discouraged criticism of EA by district employees.”

Cherry Creek Schools hired Education Accelerated in 2023 to help the district create a teacher residency program called the Aspiring Educator Pathway.

Tony Leffert, an attorney for the Smiths, declined to comment for this story.

The Denver Post reported on the investigation report’s major findings in a story Monday. Here are other takeaways from the report:

Contracts should get a legal review — but don’t always

All district contracts requiring a signature are supposed to be reviewed and approved by Cherry Creek Schools’ legal department before an employee signs off on the document, according to district policy.

The investigation found that employees didn’t always follow that policy, with one person telling the outside attorneys the district had a history of not getting a legal review of contracts because “they do not want to be told no.”

“They described, prior to October 2025, a culture among district employees of asking for forgiveness after the fact rather than asking for permission before,” the attorneys wrote. The version of the report released by the district had the names of interviewed employees redacted.

Report questions more expenses by Education Accelerated

For months now, Cherry Creek has investigated reimbursements billed to the district by Education Accelerated, with a focus on whether the company overbilled the district for monthly travel expenses and sought reimbursement for alcohol purchases.

Caplan & Earnest found that it����ap “more likely than not” that Education Accelerated sought reimbursements for alcohol at least twice, and Brenda Smith approved the invoices. Cherry Creek’s policy prohibits employees from spending district money on alcohol.

An Education Accelerated employee sought reimbursement for two tickets to a game on July 20, 2025, totaling $169.50, according to the report. And in 2024, a company employee rented a car for $1,803.71 and a home rental on Airbnb for $5,613.09, which was paid for by Cherry Creek Schools. The expenses were made during a multiweek summer institute event organized by the company, the investigation found.

Cherry Creek employees told attorneys that the Education Accelerated staffer rented the car and the Airbnb because he was moving from Virginia to Texas and had sold his car. He brought his family with him to Denver for the summer institute, according to the report.

All of the expenses were approved by Brenda Smith, the report stated.

A request for comment was not returned by Palumbo and Education Accelerated CEO Alicia Densford.

Smiths defended EA to district employees

Cherry Creek employees spoke highly of the teacher residency program created with Education Accelerated, but they also said the Smiths were “highly defensive regarding Mr. Palumbo,” the report says.

For example, it says, Brenda Smith “screamed” at employees when they questioned Education Accelerated’s expenses with the HR director. Later, she sent a text message to employees that said Education Accelerated was “an ethical company” and told them not to spread misinformation, according to the report.

One employee told attorneys that after Christopher Smith resigned in January, the former superintendent told the person: “I know how you feel, but I need you to say that Education Accelerated was the best thing that ever happened to this district and the Aspiring Educator Pathway would not have happened without them.”

The report says the attorneys confirmed that the employee, who had criticized the company, shared details of the conversation with Smith with a coworker at the time.

Personal trips to Costa Rica, other places

Nearly every person interviewed in the investigation told Caplan & Earnest attorneys that the Smiths had a personal relationship with Palumbo, whom the couple had met on a cruise in 2022.

Brenda Smith downplayed the relationship in her interview with the attorneys, who wrote that they found other witnesses’ credibility “outweighed” the HR director’s characterization of the relationship.

Cherry Creek employees told the attorneys that Palumbo stayed at the Smiths’ house when he was in town and that the couple’s children called him “Uncle David,” according to the report. The Smiths also took personal vacations with Palumbo to Costa Rica and stayed with him in Texas.

Trips to Guatemala, Brazil didn’t violate policy

The Denver Post reported Sunday that the Smiths accepted at least two international trips paid for by international schools with ties to Education Accelerated. The couple accepted the trips before and after they approved nearly $3 million worth of contracts with the company.

When the Smiths accepted the trips to Guatemala and Brazil, they also accepted an extra night of accommodation in each and spent their extra days in the countries sightseeing, Caplan & Earnest found.

But the investigation found that the trips did not violate board policy because Cherry Creek places few restrictions on the gifts the superintendent can accept. However, ethics experts told The Post that the trips appeared to violate that prohibits government employees from receiving gifts that could influence their decision-making.

The overall on-time performance of U.S. airlines has reached its worst level since 2014, with nearly a quarter of flights delayed, diverted, or canceled, according to the “Plane Truth 2026” study, which the consumer watchdog group unveiled Tuesday. One in 12 flights in 2025 arrived an hour or more late, the study found.

In Colorado, the on-time arrival rates at (75.4%) and the (73.1%) both lagged below the national average of 76.3% for the largest U.S. airlines. Denver-based Frontier Airlines ranked worst among major airlines for the fourth year in a row in customer complaints and involuntary passenger bumpings.

The study draws on federal data collected by the from airlines. It presents a picture of air travel becoming more of a hassle for travelers, ahead of the busy summer travel months when complaints typically peak.

Travelers this summer can expect “erratic and stressful adventures,” CoPIRG’s Colorado director Danny Katz said after presenting study findings at .

“It is dumbfounding that we are having people sit on their planes for more than three hours and not holding airlines accountable,” Katz said. “Congress should take action. The Trump Administration should take action.”

U.S. airline tarmac delays exceeding three hours increased to 708 in 2025, up by 63% from 435 in 2024 and 2.4 times more than the 289 in 2023, according to the federal data in the 44-page study. Tarmac delays exceeding four hours on international flights increased to 77, up from 64 in 2024.

On July 14, the Denver-bound passengers on United Airlines Flight 2852, who waited on the tarmac at Newark, N.J., endured the longest delay of 2025. Among the domestic flight tarmac delays in 2025, 140 lasted four hours or more, 55 lasted five hours or more, and 23 lasted six hours or more, CoPIRG researchers found.

Tarmac delays have hit the highest level since 2010, when a took effect requiring airlines to let passengers leave the aircraft after three hours. The FAA rule says airlines are liable for fines up to $27,500 per passenger if a domestic flight stays on the tarmac for more than three hours and an international flight for more than four hours.

Flight cancellations and delays increased in 2025, the study found. On the 14 largest airlines, 102,876 flights were canceled in 2025 (1.47% of flights), up by 8% over the percentage in 2024.

Travelers on U.S. airlines saw 1.66 million flights delayed, canceled, or diverted in 2025. That����ap the worst on-time performance since 2014.

Denver-based Frontier Airlines led in complaints with a rate of 19 per 100,000 passengers, based on data from October through December 2025, according to the study, and also ranked worst for involuntarily bumped passengers on overbooked flights. Frontier bumped 8,087, with a rate of 2.51 per 10,000 passengers, ahead of American Airlines, which bumped 14,758 with a rate of .72 per 10,000 passengers.

Frontier is “strongly focused on improving operational reliability,” and officials have “launched a revamped system-wide maintenance strategy, along with enhanced airport operations,” company spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said.

Frontier officials “are seeing positive early results,” she said. “We anticipate further improvements.”

Among the other major airlines at DIA, Southwest, Alaska, and Allegiant had the fewest complaints.

The project gave a face-lift to all , including 21 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and a 10,000-square-foot foyer and pre-function area designed for networking and large gatherings.

The refreshed spaces feature floor-to-ceiling windows with mountain views, new furnishings, LED lighting, and integrated greenery intended to bring more natural elements into the interior environment.

“Our goal with this transformation was to create meeting environments that feel intuitive, flexible, and deeply connected to place,” said Kurtis Hanson, general manager of the Westin Denver International Airport.

“As we mark 10 years, this investment reflects both the strength of the Denver market and our commitment to providing planners and attendees with spaces that support productivity, well-being, and meaningful connection.”

The property’s largest venue, the Spruce Ballroom, can accommodate up to 850 guests. It anchors the hotel’s conference and event offerings alongside another ballroom and a network of breakout rooms used for workshops, training sessions, and executive meetings.

Sustainability upgrades were also incorporated into the renovation, including Axminster carpets made from an 80% wool blend in the event spaces. The hotel’s announcement said additional upgrades tied to energy efficiency, water conservation and responsible sourcing are planned as part of the broader renovation project.

The multi-phase transformation is expected to be completed in Spring 2027 and will include updates to guestrooms, lobby, dining outlets, fitness facilities and public spaces.

In 2025, Denver International Airport ranked as the in the country, and the Westin, at 8300 Peña Blvd., continues to be the only full-service hotel with direct access to DIA’s Jeppesen Terminal.

is a global hospitality business under Marriott International, which acquired the brand in 2016 after its of Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

The released by the district late Monday is the result of a law firm’s probe of former Superintendent Christopher Smith and Brenda Smith, the district’s outgoing chief human resources officer. It says the potential policy violations happened in their relationship with the company and in trips they took using district money.

The investigation’s findings provide new details related to the Smiths’ travel to conferences, which the outside attorneys found likely violated district policy. That’s because the couple charged Cherry Creek Schools for events they did not attend or only partially attended — and encouraged other employees to do the same, the report says.

“This is taxpayer money,” said Jane Feldman, an ethics consultant who previously was executive director of the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission. She is also chair of the . “You need to be careful and understand that you have an obligation to make sure taxpayer money is spent appropriately.”

An attorney for the Smiths could not be reached for comment Monday.

The district hired Caplan & Earnest to investigate business travel expenses and vendor contracts approved by the couple after Christopher Smith’s resignation earlier this year. Cherry Creek Schools doesn’t know yet how much the district spent on the third-party investigation, spokeswoman Ashley Verville said.

The investigation did not find evidence that “the Smiths had any conflicts of interest or accepted improper gifts.”

Cherry Creek Schools officials’ international travel raises ethics questions — even if it����ap ‘how people do business’

The Denver Post on Sunday reported on concerns raised by ethics experts about the Smiths' acceptance of at least two international trips paid for by international schools with ties to . Christopher and Brenda Smith accepted the trips before and after they approved nearly $3 million worth of contracts with Education Accelerated, which was hired by the district in 2023 to help create a teacher residency program, The Post found.

Emails reviewed by The Post also suggested personal travel between the Smiths and Education Accelerated executives.

The monthslong investigation for the district by the outside law firm, , found that the Smiths “had a close personal relationship with EA’s principal, David Palumbo, and further that the Smiths actively discouraged criticism of EA by district employees."

“… (W)e find that it is more likely than not that the Smiths violated board policy by engaging in favoritism toward EA and EA-related vendors and creating the appearance of impropriety,” the attorneys wrote.

The report cites that Brenda Smith approved the company’s travel expenses and she signed off on a contract with the company that exceeded her authority.

Cherry Creek Schools paid Education Accelerated more than $1.9 million between May 2023 and January, including more than $110,000 in approved travel expenses, according to the report.

According to the report, Christopher and Brenda Smith met Palumbo, the chairman of Education Accelerated, in October 2022 while in line at a bar on a cruise ship. Palumbo introduced himself to the couple, the report says, and attempted to get a free drink using the couple's drink package.

"Everyone we spoke to, with the exception of Brenda Smith, freely shared their negative impressions of Mr. Palumbo," the Caplan & Earnest attorneys wrote. "These employees used strong and similar phrases to describe Mr. Palumbo, including 'unimpressive,' 'snake oil salesman,' and 'all puffery.' Brenda Smith expressed a different opinion."

Report cites personal trips

Attorneys with Caplan & Earnest interviewed nine district employees and Brenda Smith in their investigation. Christopher Smith declined to be interviewed, according to the report. The district redacted the names of employees interviewed in the document.

The investigation found that the Smiths “more likely than not” violated district policy by charging expenses to the district for travel that was not related to business, specifically on trips to New York City, San Diego and Seattle.

“The Smiths failed to exercise consistent, close control over their travel expenses to ensure that all expenses were ‘appropriate and necessary travel costs in carrying out their authorized duties’ and ‘related to district business,’ ” the attorneys wrote.

Employees told investigators that during conferences, the Smiths encouraged them to leave the events that Cherry Creek Schools had paid for them to attend and go sightseeing.

During a conference in New York City last year, the couple and others left each day to explore the city, including visits to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and to Central Park, an employee told investigators. Cherry Creek Schools spent more than $3,000 to send Christopher Smith on the trip, according to the report.

On a trip to Seattle last year, an employee told attorneys, neither the employee nor the Smiths attended any of the conference sessions.

Cherry Creek Schools paid the Smiths’ parking fees at DIA and for their hotel room on the Seattle trip, which totaled $4,112.79, according to the report.

Two weeks after the Smiths returned from Seattle, they went to a conference in San Diego. The fees for the couple and an HR employee to attend that conference were $3,745 alone.

The three flew to San Diego on the Friday before the conference and were scheduled to return to Denver that Monday, the second day of the four-day conference. Instead, the Smiths and the other employee changed their flights -- a fee charged to the district -- and returned to Colorado the day the conference started. The total cost of this trip was nearly $7,000, the investigation found.

Feldman, the ethics expert, said government employees have an ethical obligation to attend conferences paid for by their employers.

"If they are encouraging people not to go and not attending ... to me, that is certainly unethical -- if not illegal," she said.

Attorneys found the Smiths changed their flights at least 21 times between September 2023 and November 2025, resulting in at least $3,076.93 in fees charged to the district. At least one flight change by Christopher Smith was made for personal travel, the report says.

District's growing travel budget

The Denver Post reported in February that the district spent $23,499.31 and $38,492.48, respectively, for Christopher Smith and Brenda Smith to travel to conferences during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years.

Brenda Smith's travel expenses, in particular, were notably high for someone in her position, The Post found.

Cherry Creek Schools has 51,844 students and a $840 million budget. The district is projected to have a $15.4 million deficit this year, in large part because of declining enrollment, and plans to cut 159 jobs.

Cherry Creek Schools' board policies don’t detail how much business travel is appropriate for employees, nor do they set a travel budget or say what expenses can be charged to the district. The district also does not provide guidance on how many days employees can travel for work, the report found.

Instead, Brenda Smith and another employee told attorneys the budget was based on each department and on travel expenses incurred the previous year.

There was a notable increase in travel in Cherry Creek's human resources department in recent years, from $202,225 two years ago to $246,295 in the 2024-25 school year, which exceeded the budget by more than $35,000, according to the report. One employee told attorneys the increase was due to more people working there.

By comparison, the superintendent����ap travel budget dropped during that same time period from just under $100,000 to $78,500. But the expenses also exceeded the budget by $12,408, the investigation found.

Christopher Smith’s contract encouraged the former superintendent to travel, but the investigation did not find evidence that he notified the school board in writing when he planned to take a trip.

“The consensus ... is that the Smiths expended district resources liberally on business travel, both in time and financial resources as compared to others in the district, previous occupants of the same position, and similarly-situated colleagues in other districts,” the attorneys wrote.

Interim Superintendent Jennifer Perry and the Board of Education announced Friday that the district had terminated Brenda Smith's employment because of the law firm's findings in the new report. The district will continue to pay her until the end of her contract, which expires in late June. She will not receive any additional benefits, according to the district.

Christopher Smith resigned as superintendent in January. He earned a base salary of $332,601.15.

Brenda Smith was hired in 2019 and received a $232,142.40 salary.

The Smiths were married before either worked for the district. Brenda Smith reported to the deputy superintendent after the school board hired her husband in 2021, according to a district memo. 

Read the investigation report:

A new summer travel report from Skyscanner found that price is a major planning challenge for those looking to book summer travel, with 38% of travelers in the U.S. lingering on making their travel plans even as the world heats up and summer gets closer.

�����������ԲԱ��’s uses data from research conducted among 2,000 travelers in March, 2026. It found that 20% of Americans consider price the major challenge for booking summer travel.

“Summer vacations are special, but for many travelers still looking to book, the planning side requires more thought than ever,” explained Lourdes Losada, Director of Americas at Skyscanner. “That����ap why this year’s Smarter Summer Report is designed to help people make more confident choices on when and where to travel, using �����������ԲԱ��’s proprietary data to highlight smarter timings, better-value options and alternative destinations.

“In a more changeable travel environment, checking live prices and staying flexible on where and when you travel can go a long way when it comes to finding better value. More importantly, travelers should stay informed and check the latest travel advice before booking.”

Flexibility is key to saving this summer

American travelers expect to spend $331 on flights for their summer vacation abroad, with 61% trying to be more flexible to get the best deal. Skyscanner encourages money-conscious travelers to consider cheaper travel weeks, cheaper alternative destinations and checking live fares.

The week for the best value for flights is the week of Aug. 10, when travelers can snag over $200 in savings on flights to Rome. The week of Aug. 31 is also particularly good for flights heading to Tokyo, when travelers can save just under $150.

Unlikely destinations take precedence

Additionally, 73% of Americans are visiting places that none of their social group had been to before, with Gen Z dominating this new trend, at 77%. These second- or third-city destinations are less obvious travel choices, but might actually save them money.

These destinations include Aberdeen, U.K., where flights can be as little as $413 one-way; Redmond, Oregon; Asuncion, Paraguay; Trieste, Italy; Bastia, France; Liverpool, U.K.; Hilo, Hawaii and more.

Group travel

While over half of Americans believe planning group travel is more stressful than planning a wedding, with 29% reporting that finding the best accommodation being the hardest part and 30% reporting that determining a budget is the worst, Skyscanner believes choosing a less popular destination with relatively low airfare and rental car prices, like San Diego, Asheville or Madison can help make the group trip easier and more cost effective.

©2026 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Snow expected to fall in Colorado’s mountains between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Thursday, , included:

• 3 inches in Conifer, with up to 5 inches possible
• 4 inches in Estes Park, with up to 9 inches possible
• 7 inches in Georgetown, with up to 14 inches possible
• 8 inches in Winter Park, with up to 12 inches possible
• 9 inches in Nederland, with up to 13 inches possible
• 10 inches on Cameron Pass and Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 20 inches possible
• 11 inches in Allenspark, with up to 14 inches possible
• 11 inches on Loveland Pass, with up to 17 inches possible
• 13 inches in Eldora, with up to 16 inches possible
• 14 inches on Berthoud Pass, with up to 21 inches possible

Heavy snow will fall on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, including at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel and on Vail Pass, . Snow-covered roads and low visibility will create hazardous travel conditions, forecasters said.

A will be in effect for parts of Boulder, Grand, Jackson and Larimer counties in northern Colorado until 9 p.m. Monday, according to the weather service.

“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” forecasters stated in the warning.

Separate will also be in effect until 9 p.m. Monday for Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Park and Summit counties. The advisories are a , but also warn of dangerous travel conditions and heavy snow.

No snow is expected to accumulate in Denver on Monday, but the metro area could see trace amounts if the storm is stronger than anticipated, according to the weather service. On the high end of the forecast, the southern metro area may see up to one-half of an inch of snowfall.

Rain is forecast for the Denver area throughout the day on Monday, according to the weather service. If snow does fall, it will likely happen between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., .

Snow is likely in the mountains through early Tuesday morning, after which the storm will pause and resume Wednesday afternoon, . The second wave of is expected to continue into early Thursday morning.