SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has granted clemency to seven people and denied another 247 requests. In a statement Wednesday, Rauner's office says each person who received clemency has been subject to a recent criminal background check. They received pardons with expungement, allowing them to ask a court to remove their convictions from their records. The grantees include two people who were convicted of burglary - including one case from 1978. The others were convicted of theft, forgery, reckless driving and methamphetamine conspiracy. Rauner's office says a backlog of about 1,000 petitions remains from previous administrations. They say the 254 petitions he took action on Wednesday date back to October 2010. It's the sixth time the Republican has acted on clemency petitions since taking office in January.